September 1997 Topics
Bootlegging, Piracy, Mordida, AFIS,
Compounding a Felony, Curbstoning,
Demand Draft Fraud, Fletch, Hoopty, Keeper, Mark, Mrs. Crook,  Roper, Soborno,
Sourdough, and Swindle Sheet
 

Millions of bootleg discs are sold each year
through underground distribution channels.
 

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

 

Bootlegging
A conspiracy to make or sell compact discs of music that has never been officially released by the recording company. The music may be outtakes from recording studio sessions and movie sound tracks, or secretly recorded concerts. Millions of bootleg discs are sold each year through underground distribution channels. The U. S. Customs Service conducted an undercover investigation and sting of American and European bootlegging in 1997, known as “Operation Gold Mine.”
Paul Farhl, “Record Companies Don’t Get a Kick Out of Bootlegs,” The Arizona Republic, July 18, 1997, p. D15.

 

Piracy
Making and selling unlicensed copies of compact discs. The counterfeit discs contain music that has been officially released by recording companies. The artists and recording companies are cheated out of their royalties.
Paul Farhl, “Record Companies Don’t Get a Kick Out of Bootlegs,” The Arizona Republic, July 18, 1997, p. D15.

 

Mordida
A bribe; derived from Spanish morder (to bite).
Larousse Pocket Diccionario Español-Inglés, Larousse, Paris, 1994, p. 219.

 

AFIS
An Automatic Fingerprint Identification System used by law enforcement agencies. Instead of using messy ink and smudged cards, each fingerprint is pressed against a glass scanner. The images of the prints instantly are displayed on a video terminal. The image is saved as an electronic file and compared to state and national databases. An AFIS may be used to identify suspects or to match fingerprints lifted from crime scenes and documents to those potential suspects. An evidence technician runs the prints to learn the suspect’s identity and criminal record. An AFIS may be linked to the FBI’s computer center in West Virginia.
Jim Walsh, “AFIS a Hit for Crime Solving,” The Arizona Republic, March 18, 1996, p. B1.

 

Compounding a Felony
A victim declines to expose or prosecute a person, who has committed the crime, in exchange for restitution or a bribe.
Black’s Law Dictionary, West Publishing, St. Paul, Minnesota, 1979, p. 259.

 

Curbstoning
Selling a used car or truck in a vacant lot and giving the buyer an impression that an individual is selling the vehicle; and not disclosing that a dealership actually is the seller.
“Taken for a Ride,” 20/20, ABC News television, 1996.

 

Demand Draft Fraud
The scam involves sales of magazine subscriptions and other consumer products. A scam operator purchases demand draft processing software for a few thousand dollars. This telemarketer lies to the consumers to obtain their checking account numbers. The telemarketer then electronically withdraws funds from the consumers’ checking accounts for $300 to $800 higher than the subscription prices or merchandise prices. Without the consumers’ express, verifiable authorizations, this violates Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act, and the FTC’s Telemarketing Sales Rule. Demand drafts appeal to the consumers who don’t use credit cards or don’t want to write checks. Unlike credit cards, there is no federal law that limits consumers’ liability for unauthorized demand drafts. It may take the consumers several weeks or months to discover and resolve the overcharges. The telemarketer defends the discrepancies as unintentional keypunch errors.
Nancy Ann Jeffrey, “Consumers Have Very Little Protection Against Scams Involving Demand Drafts,” The Wall Street Journal, March 20, 1996.

 

Fletch
A counterfeit coin.
Jay Robert Nash, Dictionary of Crime, Paragon House, New York, 1992, p. 133.

 

Hoopty
A lemon. A piece of junk. A bad automobile that looks good from the outside.
“Taken for a Ride,” 20/20, ABC News television, 1996.

 

Keeper
A prisoner held on formal charges.
Martin Roth, The Writer’s Complete Crime Reference Book, Writer’s Digest Books, Cincinnati, OH, 1993, p. 250.

 

Mark
The same as a victim, except a mark comes looking for deals.
Martin Roth, The Writer’s Complete Crime Reference Book, Writer’s Digest Books, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1993, p. 252.

 

MRS. Crook
A fraudster obtains a check made payable to the “IRS.” The check is stolen from a home, a business, a mailbox, or a processing center. The payee line is altered from IRS to MRS. plus someone’s name; then the check is cashed. The check amount is not altered, so the victim is not aware of the scam until he receives a delinquency notice for unpaid taxes, penalties and interest. This scam goes undetected for a long while because most bank customers no longer receive their canceled checks with their bank statements. To prevent this annual scam, write “Internal Revenue Service” on the check instead of “IRS.”
The Wall Street Journal, March 20, 1996, p. 1.

 

Roper
A con man who entices or ropes a victim, or a mark, into a scam.
Martin Roth, The Writer’s Complete Crime Reference Book, Writer’s Digest Books, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1993, p. 257.

 

Soborno
The action of bribery; derived from Spanish sobornar (to bribe). Also it refers to a bribe of dinero (money) or regalos (gifts).
Larousse Pocket Diccionario Español-Inglés, Larousse, Paris, 1994, p. 308.

 

Sourdough
Phony money.
Jay Robert Nash, Dictionary of Crime, Paragon House, New York, 1992. p. 357.

 

Swindle Sheet
An expense account.
Jay Robert Nash, Dictionary of Crime, Paragon House, New York, 1992, p. 379.

 

ã Copyright 1997 Larry C. Adams.
All rights reserved.
 

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