Training

    Shutting Down America's Largest Illicit Online Gift Card Marketplace

    Organized retail crime is on the rise, affecting both the retail and financial industries. In a landmark case titled Operation Bad Bot, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) unraveled a complex, online gift card fraud scheme, culminating in the shutdown of a marketplace with more than $22 million in stolen gift cards and the arrest and prosecution of the Canadian man behind the scheme. In this webinar, you will take a deep dive into Operation Bad Bot, learn how HSI solved this case, and hear how HSI worked with the U.S. Department of Justice to prosecute the perpetrator.

    Presented by:
    Dariush Vollenweider, Group Supervisor, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
    Alan Stevens, Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Department of Justice

    NW3C does not share webinar attendees personally identifiable information with any third party without opt-in consent given during registration.

    The content, views, and opinions expressed in this presentation are those of the individual presenters and do not represent official policy, opinions, or view of NW3C.

    FC200 Intermediate Level Spreadsheeting Skills: Assessing and Organizing Data

    This intermediate spreadsheeting course uses Microsoft Excel to assess and organize data in an electronic format. The class is designed for learners who have experience using Excel and who want to increase their spreadsheeting knowledge and skills. Topics include text functions, absolute referencing, date and time functions, flash fill, handling formula errors, VLOOKUP, dynamic arrays, and data validation. The course combines live demonstrations, instructor-led exercises, and independent student exercises.

    FC111 Financial Crimes Against Seniors Seminar

    This course promotes a multi-agency approach to the problem of financial exploitation of senior citizens. Topics include working with senior victims, examining documents like bank records and power of attorney, and resources for investigation and community awareness. Detailed examination of a case study from initial complaint to prosecution reinforces and illustrates the course content. With a dual focus on financial abuse by trusted persons and common scams aimed at seniors, the course introduces senior-specific investigative skills while facilitating networking and cooperation that can extend out of the classroom and into real cases.

    FC105 Financial Records Examination and Analysis

    This course covers the acquisition, examination, and analysis of many types of financial records, including bank statements and checks, wire transfer records, and business records. Topics include recognizing and investigating common indicators of fraud, using spreadsheets to facilitate analysis and pattern recognition, and financial profiling. There is a strong focus on presenting financial evidence in multiple modalities: spreadsheet data outputs, graphic representations, and written/oral presentations.

    *Introduction to analysis. Best practices. Finding patterns. Indicators of fraud. Presenting your findings.
    *Financial records. Bank records. Business documents.
    *Financial profiling. Methods of profiling. Reasons to create a profile. Creating a profile.
    *Hands-on experience. Work a mock financial case as part of an investigative team.

    IA102 Introduction to Link Analysis

    This course introduces analysts to the broader concepts of connecting the dots through link analysis. A critical portion of conducting a successful analytical investigation is the ability to link together and understand the complexities of the connectedness between people and organizations. Introduction to Link Analysis (ILA) expands on the basic principles of link and association analyses explored in the Foundations of Intelligence Analysis Training (FIAT) while building a framework for more advanced methods such as social network analysis.

    Expanding basic knowledge of link and association analysis
    Explaining the process of social network analysis
    Understanding the visual mapping and mathematical components associated with link and social network analyses

    FC204 Combating Transnational Crime & Terrorism Financing

    An effective financial investigation can disrupt terrorism organizations and interrupt, deter, or even stop operational terrorism activities before they can begin. In this three-day course, students develop an understanding of how financial systems are used to support terrorism activities and transnational criminal organizations. Students will work with tools and methods to investigate the manipulation of financial, communication, and business systems used for illicit purposes. Students will learn how to work with suspicious activity reports, crucial financial records such as Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications (SWIFT) messaging, and records used in banking and money services businesses. They will also learn how to gather information and evidence on other means of value transfer methods associated with money laundering, the black-market peso and forms of trade-based money laundering, hawala, and other alternate remittance systems, and virtual assets (cryptocurrency).

    FC122 Intellectual Property Theft Training

    This course introduces the problem of intellectual property theft and provides tools, techniques, and resources for investigating and prosecuting these crimes. A combination of lecture, discussion, and interactive exercises illustrates the potential dangers and economic repercussions of counterfeit products, as well as best practices and techniques for investigating IP theft. Students are provided with a state-specific folder that includes relevant statutes, sample organizational documents for IP investigations, and additional resources for investigators and prosecutors.

    This course is presented in collaboration with the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG).
    Awareness. Types of IP crimes. The criminals who commit these crimes. Impacts and dangers.
    Investigation. Online and traditional techniques. Working with brand experts and the private sector. Large amounts of evidence. Resources.
    Statutes. Prosecutorial theories. State-specific discussion.
    Hands-on experience. Work with real counterfeit products. Identify fakes with expert guidance.

    IA102 Introduction to Link Analysis

    This course introduces analysts to the broader concepts of connecting the dots through link analysis. A critical portion of conducting a successful analytical investigation is the ability to link together and understand the complexities of the connectedness between people and organizations. Introduction to Link Analysis (ILA) expands on the basic principles of link and association analyses explored in the Foundations of Intelligence Analysis Training (FIAT) while building a framework for more advanced methods such as social network analysis.

    Expanding basic knowledge of link and association analysis
    Explaining the process of social network analysis
    Understanding the visual mapping and mathematical components associated with link and social network analyses

    IA200 Intermediate Analytic Techniques

    This course addresses key objectives focused on training intelligence analysts working at or towards the intermediate-level (practitioner and/or experienced analyst). This course expands upon core analytic fundamentals covered in NW3C's FIAT, ISIA, and IWAB offerings. The course begins with an in-depth case study to illustrate the complexities and challenges of a major case scenario for intelligence analysts. The course then examines key concepts related to analytic thinking, cognitive biases, structured analytic techniques, and effective time and project management. Finally, the course concludes with a section on addressing analytic uncertainty in intelligence writing. With guidance from experienced experts, students gain hands-on experience in the course with a complex practical case scenario that will challenge students on both days of the course.

    Key concepts covered in this course include:
    *Identifying cognitive biases
    *Structured analytic techniques
    *Project and time management
    *Conveying uncertainty in intelligence writing

    CI130 Basic Cyber Investigations: Cellular Records Analysis

    This course is for officers, investigators, and analysts who encounter cell phone evidence that includes information external to the phone. Class concepts include instruction on how to request, read, and analyze call detail records from cellular providers; and how to plot cellular site locations to determine the approximate position of a suspect during a given period. No special hardware or software is required. However, this course focuses heavily on analysis; as such, a strong working knowledge of Microsoft Excel is highly recommended. Students are provided with a free copy of NW3Cs PerpHound tool, which assists in the plotting of call detail record locations.

    *Cellular technology. Land-line and cellular networks. Types and generations of cell phones. Cell site design and its implications for law enforcement.
    *Analysis of call detail records. Request information from service providers. Convert records into a useful format. *Merge two related spreadsheets. Read and analyze using filters, sorting, and pivot tables. Plot location information.
    *Hands-on experience. Hands-on experience with NW3Cs free software tool PerpHound and Microsoft Excel to analyze various types of records that are available from cellular providers.

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