June 1995 Topics
Unbearable Fraud, CBOK, Iron a Card, Drop Out,
Spinning Windies, FAQ, Mail Reflector, Flame,
Ghost Rider, Hang Out to Dry, and Back-pedal
 

A lie can travel halfway around the world
while the truth is putting on its shoes.
 

Fraud In Other Words
Professional Jargon and Uncensored Street Slang
by Larry C. Adams, CFE, CPA, CIA, CISA

 

Unbearable Fraud
In 1994, Roland Sweet wrote about a Russian tourist agent who was asked to provide an American tourist with a wild bear hunt. The agent bought a bear from a circus and released it in Moscow’s Perdelkino Forest. The newspaper Vecernaya Moskva reported that as the hunter closed in on the prey, a postal carrier on a bicycle passed by, saw the bear, and tumbled off the bike in surprise. The trained bear climbed on the bike and pedaled off, leaving the American tourist to sue for fraud.
Roland Sweet, Vecernaya Moskva, 1994.

 

CBOK
A Common Body of Knowledge. The state-of-the-art principles and practices that must be studied or mastered to obtain a professional certification.

 

Iron a Card
A fraudster may flatten out the embossed name and number on a stolen card. The raised plastic may be flattened with a steam iron and a piece of cardboard used as a buffer to avoid scorching. Sometimes warm water and a vise is used. The fraudster later re-embosses the credit card with another number or name. Attempting to iron newer cards may ruin the lamination, the hologram, or the magnetic strip.

 

Drop Out
A brochure or a card in an advertising mailer that drops out of the envelope or magazine when the recipient opens it. If the recipient has to bend over and pick up a card, they are more likely to read it. A drop out is a commonly used gimmick used to attract curiosity in fraudulent and legitimate mail advertising.

 

Spinning Windies
Telling tall tales of lies. According to Mark Twain, “A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes!”
“If we tell the truth, we don’t have to remember anything.” Mark Twain's fictional characters were noted for spinning windies.
Mark Twain, "Roughing It". www.hannibal.net/marktwainmuseum/index.html


 

FAQ
A Frequently Asked Question, and its answer. On the Internet, many USENET news groups, bulletin boards, and non-USENET mailing lists maintain FAQ lists or FAQs, so the participants don’t spend lots of time answering the same questions.

 

Mail Reflector
A special e-mail address. Electronic mail sent to this address is automatically forwarded to a set of other addresses. The procedure is like a blind box for a classified advertisement in a newspaper. Also it is similar to a telephone’s call forwarding feature. To delay detection, fraudsters may use a series of mail reflectors to hide their identity or their actual location.

 

Flame
A virulent and often largely personal attack against the author of a USENET posting or a chat room comment. On the Internet, flames are unfortunately common and rude. The writers like to hide behind the anonymity that computer access provides for them. Computer users who write bitter and caustic messages that can be read by many other users are known as flamers.

 

Ghost Rider (Jumper, Add-On)
A person who falsely claims to have been on a train or bus involved in an accident, in an effort to collect money for alleged injuries. A “Jumper” is a person who joins the train or bus at the accident scene. An “Add-on” is a person who was never at the accident scene, but claims they were.

 

Hang Out to Dry
To leave someone to his or her own defense. To pick a scapegoat to bear the blame for others.

 

Back-Pedal
To reverse one’s position or change a report just when reactions appear unfavorable.

 

ã Copyright 1995 Larry C. Adams. All rights reserved.
 

Fraud In Other Words - Order the book online
 Magazine Article Archive
Fraud Dictionary
Free update service