Ultrasaur Blog

Keeping track of exciting new threats to your digital records.

Posts Tagged ‘records’

Old timey fraud: Fake expense receipts

Saturday, June 27th, 2009

We normally focus on the bigger stuff, but fake expense receipts are a reminder that insider fraud does happen.

Some random thoughts on expense receipts:

  • I’ve taken taxis for work where the driver offers to increase the receipt $10 or so, if I’d pay in cash.
  • They offer perverse incentives, the bus system in Seattle is often easier than a taxi, but I could get a receipt for the taxi making it free (vs $2 to take the bus).
  • When I lived in China, outside most subway stops were vendors selling taxi receipts. The idea again being that the subway was cheaper (and often faster), but you could still get reimbursed for a (more expensive) fictional taxi trip.
  • The real cost is repeated over and over in the comments, if you need to ask for too much verification, you’re “making all trips cost an extra half day’s productivity for each traveler”

CIA vs Senator, records disagree

Friday, May 15th, 2009

Another “He-said-he-said” argument making news, this time between the CIA and Sen. Bob Graham. In this case the CIA’s records indicate that they told Graham the details about waterboarding but Graham’s records indicate that they didn’t. Or rather, that’s what both party claims, so in the absence of verifiable records, it relies on which party you trust more, which isn’t obvious.

From former presidential speechwriter to Jimmy Carter James Fallows:

Graham also has a specific reputation for keeping detailed daily records of people he met and things they said. He’s sometimes been mocked for this compulsive practice, but he’s never been doubted about the completeness or accuracy of what he compiles…
So if he says he never got the briefing, he didn’t.

Records of marriage

Monday, April 6th, 2009

Here’s one I hadn’t thought of:

Although we have been married for four years now, the American Immigration services can’t find any paper trail for the two of us.

The comments hit on my thinking: “Let’s hope they acknowledge the validity of digital photos.” Despite being a lightweight “internet couple”, they must have hundreds of emails and digital photos.

We’re hoping to have a “Community edition” available this year that would address this problem. And then we’ll be in the position to “write to your national authorities” for you.

$9 million ATM scam

Saturday, February 7th, 2009

Regarding the recent multi-person ATM scam one line stuck out as especially scary from a data integrity perspective:

Somehow the group managed to remove the daily withdrawal limits usually imposed on the cards and accounts, allowing for multiple large withdrawals to be made.

Meaning that the team that managed to hack the system, were able to change more than just the data but also the rules of the system. If they were able to do that, it’s safe to assume they may have been able to tamper with records and safety audits to cover their tracks. There may be no way to determine which records in the system are legitimate clues and which have been altered.

Records Altered in Brazil

Thursday, December 18th, 2008

Technical details are scarce, but Greenpeace UK claims records were altered concerning logging permits.

Source: The Register via Schneier on Security