Author: David Snow
ISBN No: 9781500547158
Review date: 05/05/2024
No of pages: 192
Publisher:
Publisher URL:
http://www.davidsnow.ie/books/
Year of publication: 17/10/2014
Brief:
Universal Scams & Fraud Prevention will show you the tricks and scams used by the conman. It features how to manage an investigation team, cross border investigations, fraud prevention in sectors including retail, financial and scams against ordinary people.
price
£$13.49
If you attended this year’s Retail Fraud conferences in Dublin in the summer and Leicester in the autumn, you will know that David Snow is an endearing speaker. From reading his book Universal Scams and Fraud Prevention we know also that he is an engaging writer, says Mark Rowe.
He writes early on: “From my personal experience in dealing with fraudsters, it never ceases to amaze me just how intelligent they can be and the lengths they will go to, to succeed with their elaborate scams, fraud or other financial crime. As financial fraud is perceived by some to be victimless, there can be a sense of respect towards these criminals by the public.” He finds this strange.
Such crimes are not faceless, either, because as David Snow tells us repeatedly, the victims are real people who we have a duty to look after, particularly the elderly and vulnerable. He covers plenty of ground in this paperback: why criminals do fraud, what should be the make-up of a special investigations unit, or fraud prevention team; and cross-border investigations; interview techniques – he recommends the PEACE model; and doing surveillance.
An intriguing chapter was ‘how to spot a fraud predator’, where David Snow speaks in terms of the professional fraudster as ‘con-artist’. “Con-artists have told me that, in fact, their life becomes a lie and one of the hardest tasks for the conman is ‘keeping up with the lie’.” That includes in conversation (‘a conman is simply looking to con you of your confidence’, that is, your trust in him telling the truth) and appearance (‘I have noticed that most con-men and women are, or make themselves, attractive and well-dressed’).
In passing in the book Dublin-based David Snow tells us something of his background: he served as a trainee investigator ‘under the watchful eye of Sam Carroll, partner in Sleator Carroll investigations’, and began as a retail security officer and store detective aged 18 (‘it was an excellent foundation for obtaining an introduction to fraud, investigation and crime prevention. Dealing with retail crime is also very much at the coalface of criminality’).
For roughly half the book he turns to sectors: retail and insurance, theft by employees and identity theft, scams in selling cars, fraud against the elderly and in internet dating. Particularly handy if you are pressed for time or if you want to refer back to the book after reading it are pages at the end of each chapter titled ‘lessons learned’ with brief lines digesting the argument. David Snow signs off with some not very hopeful thoughts on the field. Many jurisdictions view fraud, including fraud done online, as a ‘soft crime’ as it doesn’t involve violence (at least not physical violence; as the author shows, people fooled through their internet dates into sending money until they are skint are left heartbroken and angry, and angry enough to hire private investigators, even).
He writes: “The development of new IT security systems enables co-operation and exchange of information between companies and financial institutions worldwide. But what about individuals?”
While some of the early chapters are right up the street of the fraud prevention specialist or the security man who has fraud on his plate, that concern for victims who don’t have an organisation behind them runs through the book. Whether you work in retail and are badgered by slip and trip claims over liability, or you want to protect your own or your workforce’s plastic cards, there’s something for you inside. Universal Scams is most of use and to be recommended for the non-specialist who wants to know more, or fears the worst; as the sub-title suggests – Learn how to protect yourself from fraud and other financial crime. And hence it is a book that deserves the widest audience.
Several books are on the UK and international markets about fraud – what it is, how to investigate and prevent it. David Snow has covered those topics, but kept his mind on the truth that fraud hurts people who don’t have the backing or comfort of an employer. The book is commendably short and snappy, too; and if we can have one quibble, it’s that an even better 172 or 152-page book is inside this 192-page book, with some tight editing.
You can buy the book on Amazon.
About the author
David Snow is the Head of Special Investigations for the Irish operation of the multi-national insurer Zurich. He’s also the author of Someone has taken my place; a story of identity theft, fraud and other crime based on the true story of how the author investigated a Texan serial identity thief who stole multiple official Irish passports from the identity of deceased Irish babies. Visit http://www.davidsnowauthor.com.
