Friday, January 26, 2007
Stay Out of Jail!
Even if you do not visit “adult entertainment” sites, your computer could harbor pornographic images and other offensive and even illegal imagery. Yes, You! There is a landmark court case under appeal where a teenager has been convicted of possessing child pornographic images. The teen maintains his innocence. His parents contacted a computer forensics specialist who has retrieved court-admissible evidence that the teen did not knowingly download the images, but that these photos had been transmitted via unsolicited emails purportedly about other topics.
It is easy to jump to the conclusion that the teen may have been curious and intentionally visited websites that included pornographic images of minors. After all, the majority of computer forensic cases involving pornography bear this out. In this instance, however, specialized software proved the teen’s contentions and laid the blame elsewhere.
What is so compelling about this case is that is could likely happen to anyone without their knowledge or consent. Through email and other portals, the information superhighway not only stops at your door, it often leaves undesirable baggage behind. Business and personal reputations built by years of hard work have been damaged as a result.
What can you do to safeguard your integrity and to check if your computer’s security has been breached? Call Kessler. Period. Kessler International is known worldwide for the firm’s computer forensic capabilities. Using proprietary and other software coupled with thorough and precise investigation processes, Kessler’s computer forensic investigations yield the both the evidence and the facts.
And, with careful monitoring procedures, Kessler can prevent the recurrence of unwanted data on personal computers. Remember, when you only have time for the best, Kessler sets the standard for investigative excellence.
See also: Practice capabilities-
http://www.investigation.com/computer_forensics.htm
http://www.investigation.com/cyber_evidence.htm
http://www.investigation.com/internet_monitoring.htm
http://www.investigation.com/tracing_hostile_contact.htm
http://www.investigation.com/cell_phone_forensics.htm
Posted by Blog Admin in
• Computer Forensics
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Thursday, January 25, 2007
Computer Forensics Among Hottest Job Fields for 2007
According to the New York Post column, “HIRE LEARNING”, Computer Forensics remains one of the top 10 career options for 2007 and the coming decade. Why? The reasons are numerous, but here are two key factors: In 2002, watershed legislation introduced the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, a major change in securities law that mandates publicly-traded companies be “transparent in their accounting practices”. So going, going, gone are the days of “the cover up”- when businesses suspected employee fraud and took steps to bury, rather than to investigate “white collar” criminal activity.
Another factor in the growing need for Computer Forensics professionals is identity theft. Statistically one in three of us has or soon will be victimized. This crime is insidious as personal information can be obtained in so many ways, from stolen mail, to hacked retail databases. Brazen identity thieves have even stolen credit card numbers by standing on line behind a victim making a POS transaction at a store register and taking cell-phone camera photos.
While the Computer Forensics field is now being popularized, as with anything else, inexperience masquerades as “best in show”. Who do you turn to investigate Computer Fraud? It’s simple: Call Kessler. Period. With over 30 years in the business, Kessler International has the expertise, experience and integrity to uncover the facts and prevent future occurrences. With propriety software, a staff certified and quantified in their respective disciplines, meticulous methodology and dedication to providing service excellence, Kessler is the company to call when you only have time for the best.
See also: http://www.investigation.com/computer_forensics.htm,
and http://www.investigation.com/cell_phone_forensics.htm.
Posted by Blog Admin in
• Computer Forensics
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Friday, January 19, 2007
CONSUMER ALERT: What You Don’t Know Can Cost You!
Most commercial and savings banks have discontinued the accounting practice of returning original cancelled checks to their account holders, replacing them with photocopies of both sides of each cancelled check instead. This way, account holders have a record of who actually signed the back of the check to redeem its face value.
This signature is universally required for resolving countless business transaction disputes. The back-of-check endorsement also proves ownership to resolve warrantee claims and is admissible as evidence in court cases. In short; no record of the back of each individual check, no legal documentation.
HBSC Bank, USA, N.A’s account holders have recently received written notice that they would no longer be receiving original cancelled checks, but photocopied facsimiles of these documents. When these statements arrived, consumers noticed that they had received photo facsimile copies of the face of each check only.
When they contacted HBSC management about these anomalies, consumers learned that a) the original checks had been destroyed and that b) if the consumers wished to have copies of both sides of a check, a $5 charge per check would be incurred. (Note: The Blog editor is not certain which statement is more disturbing- that the checks have been destroyed; that there is a sizeable service charge to receive a photo facsimile of both sides of one’s cancelled check OR how it is possible to make a photo facsimile from a check that allegedly has been destroyed!)
For some time it has been the practice for major financial institutions to include photo facsimile checks in lieu of originals in their accountholder’s monthly statements. Both Citibank, N.A. and Chase among many commercial and savings banks provide their account holders with monthly statements including photo facsimiles of their cancelled checks. Their monthly statements, however, provide BOTH sides of each cancelled check.
This is food for consumer thought if one pays bills by check and may require proof “down the road” that they did indeed pay their gas, electric and fuel bills, mortgage, child care, credit card(s)……to name a few!
Monday, January 08, 2007
Nationwide Employee Theft Statistics
Did you know that 13% of your employees would steal from you? Statistical data compiled by Kessler International has been cited in the November 27th, 2006 issue of the prestigious trade paper, FinancialWeek. The Random Numbers segment of the weekly featured Kessler International’s employee theft statistics (culled from a nationwide survey by the renowned forensic accounting firm). To review the source material, which includes more relevant statistics for corporations and employers, see http://www.investigation.com/press/press4.htm.
Posted by Blog Admin in
• Corporate Investigations
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Friday, January 05, 2007
Cyber Attacks: What They Are & What You Can Do About Them…
Cyber crime takes many forms. One of the most insidious is the “cyber attack”, usually targeting an individual or corporation. How targeted attacks (sadly, there are other variations on this theme) happen and what can be done to prevent or curtail them will be discussed in a series of postings here at The Kessler Notebook.
You might be wondering, “If the attack is virtual, where’s the harm?” A future blog topic may well be, “There Are No Victimless Cyber crimes”. Cyber attackers may steal proprietary corporate or personal information. Personal privacy is invaded as well, but the harm comes from what is done with the stolen information. Cyber attackers commit acts of industrial espionage to defamation of character to identity theft. On the corporate scale, hundreds of millions of productivity hours are lost annually. And, when the security surrounding proprietary information that the attackers may or may not want or be able to use is breached, the cost to re-secure this data cannot be calculated.
How can you protect yourself and your business? Kessler International, with a global reputation for successfully combating thousands of investigative cases involving corporate and cyber fraud, is the company you can trust investigate these potential destructive issues and to make recommendations to avoid recurrence. Read more about it at http://www.investigation.com/press/press55.htm
Posted by Blog Admin in
• Computer Forensics
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Wednesday, January 03, 2007
Kessler International, the leading forensic accounting, computer forensic and auditing firm, has opened two new offices recently, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and Atlanta, Georgia. The new locations, in Lancaster at 2173 Embassy Drive, Lancaster, PA 17603, and in Atlanta at 260 Peachtree Street NW, Suite 2200, Atlanta, GA 30303, further expand Kessler’s nationwide presence. There are now 8 Kessler International locations nationwide (in addition to the Firm’s numerous offices in Europe and Asia), to meet their clients’ growing demand for the Company’s investigative and other specialized forensic services. With these new offices, Kessler International has expanded its premier investigative and forensic accounting services all along the Eastern seaboard, continuing to better serve as well as to continue to attract the nation’s most discriminating corporate, government and individual clients.
Michael G. Kessler, President & CEO of Kessler International notes, “Nationwide, demand is strong for high-caliber, discreet and thorough investigative and forensic consultants. We are experiencing a great demand for our services in the Middle Atlantic and Southern states.” Kessler continues: “These new offices additionally demonstrate that Kessler International knows the importance of building and maintaining solid business relationships and underscores our commitment to supporting these regions. The Company’s expansion into Pennsylvania and Georgia are highlights of a banner year wherein Kessler International’s highly-skilled staff and personalized service “raised the bar” even higher in ‘Setting the Standard for Investigative Excellence.’”
Some of the services offered by Kessler International‘s new offices include forensic accounting, internal corporate investigations, anti-counterfeiting and anti-diversion programs, computer forensics, cyber crime detection and evaluation, business intelligence and criminal and civil investigations. Additional areas of expertise include brand protection and asset tracing.
For more of Kessler’s long roster of “Success Stories” in 2006, please visit http://www.investigation.com/press.asp
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