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Economic Crimes FAQ's

Common Questions

Question: Where can I complete a Fraud-based offense report?
Answer: A Fraud-based offense report can be completed at the following locations:

 

Question: What evidence do I need to provide at the time the offense report is completed?
Answer: It is not required to submit all of the evidence, from an internal investigation, at the time of completion of the offense report. If you are completing an offense report, and the supporting documents are just a few pages, they can be submitted at the time of the reporting of the offense, however since many internal investigations result in numerous documents being assembled they can be held until the offense is investigated.

 

Question: My company suffered a financial loss. Will the Economic Crimes Section assist me in recovering the loss from the theft?
Answer: The Economic Crimes Section cannot assist victims in the recovery of their financial losses. Restitution is an issue for the courts, or through civil court action.

Question: My company has filed a civil action against the suspect to receive restitution. Should I complete an offense report and expect an investigation?
Answer: As a general rule Prosecutors are reluctant to accept cases where there has previously been a civil judgement with a restitution plan in effect. An offense report should still be completed however, to document that the offense occurred.

 

Question: The financial institution that is involved in my fraud report has agreed to incur the financial loss for all of the fraudulent financial transactions. Will this effect the investigation?
Answer: The offense report still needs to be completed by the account holder. Final determination, for prosecution, is up to the financial victim. If the issuing bank does not want to pursue prosecution, the investigation will not occur.

 

Question: If I report the offense will it be investigated by the Economic Crimes Section and submitted to the appropriate court for prosecution?
Answer: Every offense should be reported to the Police.  Not every financial based Fraud report can be investigated.  The Economic Crimes Section determines which cases will be assigned based on the following criteria:
  • If any, or all, of the suspects information is already known at the time of the report.
  • If the victim agrees to assist in prosecution by providing all available evidence and agrees to testify, if required, by the courts.
  • The amount, or value, of the loss.
  • The solvability factor of the case.
  • If the suspect is a local suspect (i.e. Internet fraud or international fraud)
  • The location where the financial transactions occurred (i.e. out of state or overseas transactions)
  • The availability of evidence to support the transactions.

 

Question: If my case is assigned what should I expect?
Answer: If you case is assigned to a detective, for investigation, the following will occur:

  • All offense reports are reviewed at the Economic Crimes Section, which is located downtown in the Police Headquarters Annex.
  • Once assigned the report, and any associated evidence, will be reviewed by the case detective.
  • The case detective will contact the reporting party for scheduling of an interview.
  • During the interview the case detective will take a formal statement and will review the evidence with the reporting party.
  • The case detective will interview all associated witnesses.
  • The case detective will interview the suspect of the offense.
  • The case detective will assemble all needed court documents for submission to the appropriate court that has jurisdiction for the offense.

 

Question: I understand there is video surveillance to support my theft. What should I expect from the surveillance tape?
Answer: Video surveillance is good evidence, however several issues must be considered.

  • To view video surveillance investigators must have the same computer program used to record the events at the location of the fraudulent use, to also review the events for the investigation. With numerous surveillance programs available on the market today detectives must be able to obtain a copy of the program, install the program, and then recover the surveillance and program for prosecution purposes.
  • Video surveillance is useful in identifying the suspect, however not all media outlets will air, or print, surveillance images for offenses that might not meet their criteria. One of the main factors is the amount of financial loss.

Economic Crimes FAQ's