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Dear Sherry Q: I’m working on a bad-smelling auto file where our trucker claimant has drivers licenses in at least three states. I’ve pulled MVRs in each of the states but I’m having trouble reading the darn things.
A: The Public Records Research Library does a yearly MVR Decoder Digest. It covers all fifty states and translates the codes and abbreviations of violations and licensing categories that appear on motor vehicle records. There’s an amazing collection of information in this book. For example, MSLR stands for Misstatement of Fact on Vehicle Registration Application in New Jersey. Or a 3044, in Texas, is the crime of committing a murder with a motor vehicle. You can get the full skinny on this must-have resource (less than $20) by calling the publisher, BRB, at 800-929-3811.
Q: What can you tell me about financial profiling?
A: That’s a big question, but here’s a rather simplified overview of what it entails. What you are generally looking for is hidden assets, so you need to build, step-by-step, something that looks like a balance sheet. The first step is to identify assets and see if evidence points to any type of cash hoard. This entails tracing the source of each asset e.g., how did he come up with the cash to buy a new Mercedes when his stated income was $25,000 a year and he spent about that same amount for living expenses? Next, liabilities need to be identified. You’ll want to know who the individual owes money to, why, when and where. You also want to see if any debts have been written off by the creditor and find out when and why. Step three is identifying the individual’s traceable income, and step four is identifying the individual’s expenses. A full financial profile often tells a story. And sometimes that story is all about fraud.
Q: Do you have any information on South American Theft Groups? We suspect the people we’re investigating are primarily involved in jewelry thefts and pickpocket scams.
A: I can’t tell you anything about this particular type of fraud except who to ask. Since you are from the Midwest, I suggest you contact Sgt. Jeff Ross of the Northbrook (IL) Police Department. He can be reached at 847-564-2060 or by email at SATSHQ@AOL.COM, and he knows about these frauds. For investigators in other parts of the country, Sgt. Ross will be able to direct you to an expert in your area.
Q: I confess. I was at a claimant’s home, taking a statement, and I pulled the may I use your restroom trick. I looked in the medicine cabinet and found a bottle of blue pills with the label torn off. They had little numbers on them. Any hints on how to find out what they are?
A: First step is to fire up your computer and go to the www.RxList.com and enter in the number. Chances are pretty good that you’ll have your answer in a nano-second!
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