NCJ Number
175746
Journal
Gazette Volume: 60 Issue: Dated: Pages: (September/October 1998)-63
Date Published
1998
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article reviews the ways in which cellular telephone technology is being used illegally, particularly by drug dealers, and the investigative techniques law enforcement agencies can use to counter this type of crime.
Abstract
Illegal telemarketing schemes have one common element. Illegal telemarketers prosper by promising customers an array of valuable prizes that never reach the victim. The structure and method of telemarketing fraud operations feature the "boiler room," which operates in six stages: solicitation, sales, verification, collection, shipping, and customer service. Each stage depends on the others for success. The key to combatting telemarketing crimes is communication, both among law enforcement agencies and within communities. By sharing investigative and intelligence information, law enforcement at all levels can counter the interstate aspects of these crimes; for example, the Boiler Room Task Force in San Diego maintains a comprehensive tape library of thousands of recorded telemarketing conversations that are available for law enforcement use. Nearly 200 recorded victim conversations are added to this collection weekly. Additionally, Federal Express has established its own initiative against boiler rooms that use their delivery services. The cooperation and testimony of Federal Express officials in these matters has proven invaluable in bringing many of these criminals to justice. Finally, the public, particularly the elderly population, depends on law enforcement to educate them about the pitfalls of dealing with boiler rooms and the common schemes to which they might become susceptible. With the impacts of proactive boiler room investigations and other intensified law enforcement efforts, former telemarketing hot-beds like Las Vegas, Texas, south Florida, and southern California have seen significantly reduced illegal telemarketing activity. 6 notes