Classification of counterfeit coins using multivariate analysis with X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence methods

Counterfeit coins (277 samples) were analyzed by both X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray fluorescence (XRF) methods without any pretreatment. The counterfeit coins were clearly classified into two groups using cluster analysis (CA) and principal component analysis (PCA) for XRD peak patterns. One group (250 samples) was made by a pressed method and another one (27 samples) was made by a nickel-plated method. Using four elements (Cu, Ni, Fe and Zn) and obtaining XRF for 257 samples, they could be divided into four groups by CA. On the other hand, they were classified into five groups using their diameter, thickness, weight, density, density/thickness and density/weight. The latter classification method would suggest something of a change in the process of the pressed method.     

「克隆」銀行卡之民事責任

近年來,隨著銀行卡業務的迅速發展,圍繞銀行自動櫃員機出現的不法分子「克隆」銀行卡竊取儲戶資金的案件頻頻發生。不法分子多通過在銀行的自動取款機上加裝盜竊裝置,竊取儲戶的銀行卡卡號及密碼並偽造卡片,通過取現、轉賬或消費等行為竊取卡內資金。由於在實務中被「克隆」的銀行卡主要是借記卡,因此本文試圖就借記卡被克隆情形下,相關各方的法律責任做一具體分析,並進一步探討銀行應該如何防範此類風險的產生。     

Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing Risks of Prepaid Cards Instruments?

Advances in information and communication technologies (ICT) have had, and will continue to have, wide-ranging influences on how the banking and finance industry operates. Making payments and transmitting money electronically or online are increasingly popular. An increased dependence on global electronic payment systems and the ability to move large amounts of money expeditiously across different jurisdiction, however, expose both payment processing companies and consumers to an evolving spectrum of threats such as fraud and money laundering. This article considers ways in which prepaid cards can be exploited by organised criminals and terrorists to launder their illicit proceeds of crime, and to transfer money anonymously and instantaneously over the globe for use by terrorist organisations. Risks identified in this article include recruiting card mules (e.g. international students) to purchase prepaid cards, and the mailing or shipping of prepaid cards out of the country without regulators being aware. To minimise risks of abuse by organised criminals and terrorists, legislation will need to adapt to deal with threats that organised criminals and terrorists seek to exploit. Future directions for research in relation to prepaid cards are also identified.

SEM/EDS法和XRF法在电工胶带检验中的应用

目的探索电工胶带带基的元素检验方法。方法利用扫描电镜/能谱法（SEM/EDS）对电工胶带带基中的主体元素进行定量分析,通过SPSS软件对SEM/EDS定量分析法检测出的主体元素（Cl和Ca）相对含量进行统计分析;利用X射线荧光光谱法（XRF）对电工胶带带基中的微量元素进行定性分析。结果34个品牌红色电工胶带组成的561组样品对通过SEM/EDS定量分析法可以区分539组,区分率达到96.1%;根据XRF法定性分析测出的Mg、Al、Si、S、Ti、Sb、Ba、Pb微量元素的不同组合可将34种电工胶带分成11组,两种方法结合可使不同品牌红色电工胶带的区分率达到98.4%。结论SEM/EDS法和XRF法结合可以实现同种颜色、不同品牌电工胶带的高效区分。     

伪造信用卡犯罪中的伪造行为内涵与对象研究

刑法中伪造信用卡犯罪中的伪造不仅包括仿制其物理外观的形式伪造,还应包括将权利人信息写入磁条介质、芯片等的内容伪造。作为伪造对象的信用卡应当是具有物理载体的实体卡片,事实上不存在对虚拟信用卡的伪造。以虚假身份骗领无对应实体卡的虚拟信用卡应视为妨害信用卡管理罪中的骗领信用卡行为;利用权利人既有实体卡信息,复制虚拟信用卡的行为系对他人信用卡信息资料的非法使用而非伪造。有关伪造信用卡犯罪刑法规定的立法原意并不包含伪造空白信用卡,伪造空白信用卡具有严重的社会危害性,理应将其纳入刑法规制范围,以保持与妨害信用卡管理罪刑法规定的协调。不能通过司法解释改变立法原意,现行刑法中伪造信用卡犯罪的伪造含义应有相应的调整。     

The forensic analysis of thermal transfer printing

Thermal transfer printing refers to printing processes that utilize heat to produce an image by either physical or chemical means or by a combination of both. As the technology has improved and the supplies have become less expensive, the use of thermal printing in the personal and business markets has increased significantly. Specifically, dye diffusion thermal transfer and thermal mass transfer have become predominant in the production of counterfeit credit cards, drivers' licenses, and other types of documents produced on plastic media. Chemical analysis by means of thin layer chromatography (TLC) has proven to be useful in characterizing various types of inks (e.g., writing and inkjet inks). In this study, the authors examined 81 different samples that included a total of 54 printer samples (43 photographic prints on paper and eleven plastic card samples) and 27 printer ribbons. A new TLC method was developed and tested utilizing a solvent system (80% n-hexane, 3% methyl ethyl ketone, and 17% ethyl acetate) that is capable of producing excellent resolution.     

信用卡诈骗罪若干问题研究

信用卡诈骗罪是以信用卡作为犯罪工具的诈骗犯罪。建议该罪亦可由单位构成犯罪主体 ;骗领信用卡人不能成为恶意透支的犯罪主体 ;对使用伪造、作废信用卡、冒用他人信用卡 ,恶意透支行为 ,应区别不同情况分别处理 ;危害信用卡并使用的行为 ,拾得信用卡并使用的行为构成本罪 ;对骗领信用卡并使用的行为、信用卡协议透支的行为 ,应区别不同情形 ,作出相应处罚。     

窃取、收买、非法提供信用卡信息资料罪刍议

针对日益猖獗的信用卡犯罪,我国《刑法》增设了窃取、收买、非法提供信用卡信息资料罪。本罪是指违反信用卡管理规定,窃取、收买或者非法提供他人信用卡信息资料的行为;本罪与同一条文规定的妨害信用卡管理罪是两个不同的罪名;本罪所指的信用卡包括借记卡;本罪侵犯的客体是持卡人的合法利益和金融机构的信誉,其犯罪对象为信用卡信息资料;正确认定本罪必须明确其与妨害信用卡管理罪、伪造金融票证罪和信用卡诈骗罪的界限。     

Interviewing Children about Real and Fictitious Events: Revisiting the Narrative Elaboration Procedure

Elementary school children participated in a staged event. Two weeks later they were randomly assigned to three interview conditions: (a) a streamlined version of the Narrative Elaboration (NE) procedure involving training in the use of reminder cue cards, (b) exposure to reminder cue cards without training in their use (cue card control group), and (c) a standard interview including no NE training or exposure to reminder cue cards (standard-interview control group). Children in each interview condition were questioned about the staged event and a fictitious event to determine whether children trained in the streamlined NE procedure would provide more information about a staged event than would children in the two control groups and whether the NE interview would result in increased reporting of false information when questioned about a fictitious event. Results indicated that children questioned with the NE interview reported a greater amount of accurate, but not a greater amount of inaccurate, information during cue-card presentation for the staged event than did the cue-card control group. Analyses further indicated that the NE-interview group did not report significantly more false information about the fictitious event than did children in the two control groups. Large standard deviations for the NE-interview children's cue-card recall indicate that the streamlined NE procedure was useful for many children in reporting the staged event, but may have contributed to a small number of children providing false information for the fictitious event. Further research is being conducted to determine which children may be more likely to be helped and which children may be more likely to provide false information regarding a fictitious event.     

Payment card forensic analysis: From concepts to desktop and mobile analysis tools

While one would not even consider them alike, payment cards are one of the most valuable and widely used embedded systems. Payment card systems are probably the most attacked and counterfeited. In fact, even though the use of smart cards have introduced high security capabilities, criminal activity has not been deterred and payment card fraud remains a lucrative activity.From low-tech (carding) to high-tech (man in the middle attack) fraud, all payment card based frauds require stealing or modifying card data and reusing it with a direct profit. Physical forms of fraud, such as Automated Teller Machine (ATM) withdrawals or in store payments, are mostly based on and associated with manipulated cards. Through their nefarious actions, that may include overwriting the magnetic strip data or injecting attacks on the embedded microcontroller, criminals are able to realise significant monetary gains.To effectively deal with these fraud cases, investigators have to quickly determine whether a card is authentic or a counterfeit. Currently no known easy forensic tool exists that provides a quick effective and accurate response.In this article, after having conceptualised payment cards as multi-interface embedded systems, we propose simple and fast forensic analysis methods to finally provide investigators with associated desktop and mobile forensic tools.     

窃取、收买、非法提供信用卡信息资料罪及其立法完善

信用卡信息资料直接关系信用卡的安全,非法获取它或将之非法提供是伪造信用卡犯罪的最关键环节。修正案将窃取、收买、非法提供他人信用卡信息资料的行为入罪,彰显出从源头上遏止信用卡犯罪的立法意图。其他形式的非法获取、持有他人信用卡信息资料的行为却游离于犯罪外,有立法疏漏之嫌。     

Possibilities for using bedside cards as secondary comparison in trace element studies with the PCR technique]

When fresh blood is not available as a control in stain investigations extracted teeth, hair, preserved tissue samples, histological slides, cigarette butts or used stamps can also be used. This paper reports on a stain investigation performed 7 months after the death of the victim, where a bedside card from the medical records was successfully employed as a control blood sample. In a series of 10 bedside cards up to 9 years old, the investigation with the PCR method showed recognizable patterns in the STR systems SE 33 and TC 11. Matching patterns could be found from the 4 sections of each card (anti A, anti B, anti AB and anti D). A comparison of the oldest card with a fresh blood sample of the patient also showed matching patterns. AMPFLPs were successful with more recent cards. Using the PCR method typing of bedside cards from medical records up to 10 years old can be used in stain investigations.     

Classification of black powder toners on the basis of integrated analytical information provided by Fourier transform infrared spectrometry and X-ray fluorescence spectrometry

Differentiating between black powder toners used in laser printers and copiers can be challenging for forensic examiners. One hundred and sixty-two samples from 82 different types of cartridges produced by 21 manufacturers that are currently available on the Polish market were studied using Fourier transform infrared spectrometry (FT-IR) and energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF). The spectra obtained by these two methods were classified into 14 groups and 28 groups using FT-IR and XRF, respectively. These classifications served as a basis for the development of an analytical scheme for differentiating black powder toners. This scheme can be used with any two methods that supply different information about an examined sample. The research will show that if two samples are similar in polymer composition (e.g., FT-IR spectra), additional quantitative elemental composition from XRF analyses may provide more discrimination. It was possible to differentiate 82.5% pairs of examined samples using only FT-IR, 90.8% pairs of examined samples using only XRF, and 95.8% pairs of examined samples using these two methods. Obtained spectra and all the available information could be used to create/build a database. The results obtained confirm the multiplicity and compatibility of toners. Additionally, it was stated that not all the samples were original (OEM).     

涉信用卡犯罪对象的评析及认定简

我国刑法规定的信用卡形式主要有：伪造的信用卡、作废的信用卡、以虚假的身份证明骗领的信用卡、他人信用卡、空白信用卡、伪造的空白信用卡与信用卡信息资料等。伪造信用卡犯罪的对象应当包含空白的信用卡。窃取、收买、非法提供他人信用卡信息罪的对象包含了印制在信用卡表面的持卡人姓名、信用卡号码等信息资料;在理解与适用刑法其他涉信用卡犯罪规定时,应当将信用卡信息资料与实体形式的信用卡、公民个人信息相区别。在信用卡诈骗罪中,根据卡与使用主体真实性与虚假性的介入程度,“假卡假人”、“真卡假人”以及“真卡真人”这三种排列组合所对应行为的危害性（即骗的程度）是逐渐降低的,但对行为方式的认定则应依据由高至低的规则;认定行为人所使用的信用卡是否为骗领的信用卡,应当以金融机构是否基于虚假证明材料而产生认识错误为标准;“盗窃信用卡并使用”中的“信用卡”仅包含真实有效的信用卡,而不包括伪造的信用卡、已经作废的信用卡,甚或以虚假的身份证明骗领的信用卡等。     

Health care report cards: implications for vulnerable patient groups and the organizations providing them care

Standardized public reporting on the quality of health care (report cards) offers an opportunity to empower purchasers and consumers so that they can make choices that can result in better health care for less money. However, not all population subgroups are equally well served by the publication of such data. In particular, vulnerable patient groups such as the poor, the less educated, the chronically sick, and members of ethnic or linguistic minorities may find issues of importance to them largely neglected. In addition, the way that report card data are collected, analyzed, and presented may further marginalize the experiences of these groups who in any case are already underserved by the health system. This observation also has important implications for health care providers who serve primarily large numbers of vulnerable patients. The differential impacts of report card data on vulnerable patient groups (and their providers) need to be addressed by researchers and policy makers if access issues are not to be damaged further by the providers' pursuit of quality and value.     

DNA Typer~(TM)15 plus直扩试剂盒在DNA数据库建设中的应用

目的测试DNA TyperTM15 plus直扩试剂盒的技术性能指标,评价其在DNA数据库建设中的应用价值。方法采用DNA TyperTM15 plus试剂盒,并使用IdentifilerTM和DNA TyperTM15试剂盒进行比较,设定不同体系和引物量、不同退火温度和循环次数以进行方法验证;设定不同模板量标准品、不同比例混合样本,取猪、狗、兔等动物的血液样品,血痕、骨骼、唾液斑等常见检材样本以及不同建库样本,以验证试剂盒灵敏度、特异性、稳定性以及混合样本、常见检材及建库样本的检测能力。结果直扩试剂盒分型结果准确,重复性好,灵敏度可达0.125ng,不同批次间试剂检测结果稳定,对不同检材有很好的适应性。10μL扩增体系时FTA卡和加强型血液采集卡取样直径应为0.5mm,而血滤纸、血液采集卡样本和经典型血液采集卡取样直径应为1.0mm。结论 DNA TyperTM15 plus直扩试剂盒的性能可以满足DNA数据库建设及检案的需要,可在相关实验中选择使用。     

X‐ray Powder Diffraction for Characterization of Raw Materials in Banknotes

We report about the X‐ray powder diffraction characterization of crystalline materials used to produce genuine and counterfeit banknotes, performed with a single‐crystal diffractometer that permits fast and nondestructive measurements in different 0.5‐mm sized areas; 20‐euro denomination genuine banknotes were analyzed, and results were compared with counterfeit banknotes. The analysis shows that the papers used to print real banknotes are composed, as expected, of cotton‐based cellulose and titanium dioxide as crystalline additive, but different polymorphs of TiO₂ for different emission countries are evidenced. The counterfeit banknotes are composed of cellulose based on wood pulp; moreover, an unexpected significant quantity of TiO₂ was found to be mixed with calcite, indicating that the paper employed by forgers is not simply a common low‐cost type. The crystalline index and intensity ratios between the peaks attributable to cellulose and fillers can provide additional information to trace back paper suppliers for forensic purposes.     

Trace Elemental Analysis of Titanium Dioxide Pigments and Automotive White Paint Fragments for Forensic Examination Using High‐Energy Synchrotron Radiation X‐Ray Fluorescence Spectrometry*

Abstract: High‐energy synchrotron radiation x‐ray fluorescence spectrometry (SR‐XRF) utilizing 116 keV x‐rays was used to characterize titanium dioxide pigments (rutile) and automotive white paint fragments for forensic examination. The technique allowed analysis of K lines of 9 trace elements in 18 titanium dioxide pigments (rutile), and 10 trace elements in finish coat layers of seven automotive white paint fragments. High‐field strength elements (HFSE) were found to strongly reflect the origin of the titanium dioxide (TiO₂) pigments, and could be used as effective parameters for discrimination and classification of the pigments and paint fragments. A pairwise comparison of the finish coat layers of seven automotive white paint fragments was performed. The trace elements in the finish coat layers detected by the high‐energy SR‐XRF were especially effective for identification. By introducing the trace element information of primer and electrocoat layers, all the automotive white paint fragments could be discriminated by this technique.     

Development and validation of a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry assay for hair analysis of methylphenidate

Examination of various SIM cards and smart card devices indicates that data may be retained in SIM card memory structures even after heating to temperatures up to 450 degrees C, which the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has determined to be approximately the maximum average sustained temperature at desk height in a house fire. However, in many cases, and certainly for temperatures greater than 450 degrees C, the SIM card chip has suffered structural or mechanical damage that renders simple probing or rewiring ineffective. Nevertheless, this has not necessarily affected the data, which is stored as charge in floating gates, and alternative methods for directly accessing the stored charge may be applicable.