Forensics Journal - Stevenson University 2010 | Page 16

STEVENSON UNIVERSITY

Technology and Fraud Investigations in the
Office of the Inspector General
Mary Beth Hutcheson
The use of computers has become an important aspect of most people’s home and work lives. The availability of the internet puts online
shopping, entertainment, social networking, and banking at the individual user’s fingertips. Unfortunately, the ease of use and availability
of such technology also creates more opportunities to commit fraud,
waste and abuse in the workplace. How has this very same technology
that is used so widely today affected the work performed by a fraud
investigator in order to curb this problem?

and determine there may be additional criminal activity involving
systems outside of the Agency’s control, the matter is referred to the
appropriate investigative entity.
The Inspector General’s job is complicated by security protections
such as passwords, encryption and the powerful “delete” key; however, AIG Shanholtz quickly provided several resources available
to continue an investigation when these hurdles are identified. As
technology has advanced, so have the forensic tools used to investigate fraud, waste, and abuse. Data recovery tools are a huge asset to
the investigator. AIG Shanholtz commented that the end users may
believe they have “permanently deleted” an email or document, but
there is usually a way to recover that very same deleted item. Decryption software and password crackers are also of use to the investigator
when a file has been locked. Technological advancements have led
to improved software with the capability of querying multiple forms
of data and recognizing anomalies. This type of software provides
additional assistance when investigating multiple sources of data in,
e.g., a timecard fraud case.

Many entities, including government agencies, have teams devoted
solely to fighting crimes involving the use of a computer. Inspectors
General play an important role in this fight against cybercrime and
they are responsible for detecting and preventing violations of federal,
criminal and civil law through audits, investigations, inspections,
and other reviews. Among the duties of an Inspector General is the
investigation of computer crimes, which may range from common
violations of workplace policy to complex criminal matters such as
contract fraud.
The author had the opportunity to meet with two investigators who
currently work for an Office of Inspector General (OIG) at a Department of Defense (DoD) intelligence agency. Assistant Inspector
General (AIG) Carmen Shanholtz is a certified fraud examiner, and
A