January 2005 Topics
CSI Effect, Cumshaw,
Thermochromic Ink, and Leucodye Ink
 

Television viewing habits
can influence a jury’s verdict.
 

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

 

CSI Effect
The increased awareness of forensic science the public gets from watching fictional crime shows on television like “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” and the unfairly high expectations it creates in the minds of real jurors about how easily and conclusively criminal cases can be solved. The CSI Effect is a blessing and a curse. On the positive side, potential jurors are more familiar with cutting-edge technology in document examination, digital photography, computer forensics, phone call tracing, credit card tracking, fingerprinting, DNA analysis, handwriting analysis, GPS (global positioning systems), and other sciences. This makes it easier for attorneys and witnesses to explain complex cases. However, the CSI Effect has a negative side too. A juror’s television viewing habits may bias a case if they can’t distinguish between make-believe storylines where cases are solved in one hour and real-life forensics that take luck, money, and time. Most jurisdictions can’t afford or don’t have access to the high-tech equipment and technicians featured on the shows. Most private and public crime labs have a huge backlog of casework – often several months or years worth. Some juries have acquitted defendants when evidence is missing, because they have seen that kind of evidence presented on TV dramas. Prosecutors now find it necessary to present “negative evidence” – testimony or proof they made the effort to obtain the technical evidence, but failed. Fraud examiners and other expert witnesses are spending more time explaining why certain samplings and tests are done or aren’t done during an investigation.
L. L. Brasier, “Prosecutors Battle the CSI Myths: Real-life Cases Aren’t as Simple as TV Ones,” Detroit Free Press, August 10, 2004.
Photo: Paramount Home Entertainment

 

Cumshaw (Kumshaw, Comshaw)
A southeast Asian term for a bribe or a material favor given in return for service. Cumshaw was derived from the Chinese phrase “gamsia” in the Amoy (Xiamen) dialect. Beggars in seaports said it as a traditional expression of “grateful thanks” for a small gift or gratuity. The first pidgin English spelling of cumshaw appeared in 1830 in the British House of Lords Journal in a sea captain’s testimony about the trading practices of the East India Company. A cumshaw was a large gift or fee that each British, Dutch, Portuguese, or Spanish ship paid to enter the Chinese port of Canton, in addition to the regular duty fees on the tonnage of their merchandise. Each ship paid a cumshaw of 1,950 Tales, a Chinese denomination of money, worth about US$65,400 today. Around 1925, cumshaw became a navy term for a tip or gift used to obtain illegal imports and exports by unofficial or devious means. In the military, cumshaw is still a slang term for materials that are misappropriated. A "cumshaw artist" is a person who is adept at getting unauthorized projects done by bartering surplus items to obtain services or goods in short supply. On foreign press trips, a cumshaw can enable the returning correspondents to bypass customs inspections. Companies are adopting stricter anti-bribery rules against offering, soliciting, paying, or receiving any cumshaw, since the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) was enacted in 1977.
Roger E. Axtell, “Do’s and Taboos Around the World,” Third Edition, Wiley, June 1993, page 109.

 

Thermochromic Ink (Leucodye Ink)
Ink that fades and disappears when warmed, then slowly reappears as it cools. Thermochromic ink is a security feature that can be authenticated at the point of acceptance without specialized equipment. Slide your finger over the designated area or image and your body heat will cause it to vanish temporarily. Thermochromic leucodye ink is used as a fraud deterrent on company bank checks, bank notes, prescription pads for doctors, identification cards, letterhead stationery, cash out tickets for slot machines, postage stamps, tickets for concerts and sporting events, coupon vouchers, coin counting machine receipts, retail tags on designer clothing, battery testers on packages, and logos on genuine oil filters for automobiles. The inked areas can be overt or covert. A hidden message such as “valid” or “original” can be revealed underneath. Thermochromic ink is difficult to acquire or counterfeit. Photocopiers and desktop color printers can’t replicate it.
Mike Agosta, “Thermochromic and Polychromic Inks Are Extremely Useful in Both Security Applications and Interactive Packaging,” InkWorld Magazine, October 2002.
Photo: www.gansink.com/ thermochromic_eg.html

 

ã Copyright 2004 Larry C. Adams.
All rights reserved.
 

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