Victims of cybercrime in Athens can seek help from OUPD and APD
Victims of cybercrime needn’t look far to receive help, so long as Athens and Ohio University police officers are armed with the right technology.
Lt. Tim Ryan, head of criminal investigations at the Ohio University Police Department, said his department is capable of investigating computer crimes even if the perpetrator is out of state. Ohio police can only investigate cases, however, if the crime was committed in Ohio.
“I would say that we do a very good job at investigating cybercrime and that we have some great technology to help us,” Ryan said.
In terms of crimes committed using the Internet, Ohio was ranked 12th in total dollar losses and 34th in average dollar loss per victim, according to the Internet Crime Complaint Center’s 2013 Annual Internet Crime Report. Victims in Ohio reported a total loss of $12,351,755 that year.
Additionally, the center received about 238,000 complaints nationwide in 2013. The total loss in complaints was about $575 million.
Ryan was not able to provide The Post with any additional information regarding the technology OUPD uses to investigate cybercrime for security reasons, but said the department tries its best to stay up-to-date with the latest technology.
Ryan said OUPD does not have an officer that is solely dedicated to cybercrime.
“We have some capabilities of investigating cybercrime,” Ryan said. “We decided if we have a piece of it, we’ll take it as far as we can,”
Although OUPD has the means to investigate computer crime cases, Ryan said the success rate varies on a case-by-case basis.
Some common complaints listed in the Internet Crime Complaint Center’s report include: auto-auction fraud, romance scams, FBI-related impersonation scams and real-estate rental scams.
OUPD and the Athens Police Department work with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation if an investigation requires expert assistance.
Ryan said each case has its own unique circumstances, adding that his department tries its best to solve those cases without having to reference other agencies
Vicki Angelopoulos, the special agent supervisor of the southern Cyber Crimes Unit at the BCI, said both APD and OUPD often seek assistance from her unit, as it has experts who specialize in computer crimes.
Angelopoulos added that a lot of cases her unit has handled have been successfully solved.
“I cant say whether or not cyber forensics is the main role in the investigation,” she said. “But I know that in the majority of cases, we play a piece of the puzzle to help solve that crime or having the evidence that it takes to prove the case.”
Ohio’s Cyber Crimes Unit has 11 computer-forensics specialists and six special agents, who perform both analyses and law enforcement.
Like Ryan, Angelopoulos said her unit always has to be updated with the latest technology, which can present a challenge as new software and products are released frequently.
She added cybercrime has become more prevalent, as most people now possess digital devices.
APD Lt. Jeff McCall said his department is frequently involved in cybercrime investigations, whether that may be cases of cyber bullying, identity theft or credit card theft.
He added that if an Internet scam originated from a foreign country, the department might direct the victim to the FBI or the Internet Crime Complaint Center to file a complaint.
“If the facts allow our department to investigate it, we use common investigative measures to move forward,” McCall said in an email. “We may subpoena records and if a suspect is identified, we will attempt to interview them. If probable cause exists, a search warrant may be issued.”
Athens Police Chief Tom Pyle said his officers have received some training to investigate cyber crimes. Pyle added his department has received a number of job applications from officers that possess an IT background, though that isn’t the first thing he looks at during the hiring process.
"We're looking for good community-minded people first, then a set of values that we're looking for,” Pyle said. “IT would be low on the list."
To avoid being a victim of computer crime, McCall encouraged consumers to keep their accounts secure and not easily accessible.
“They must understand that vendors and financial institutions will not contact them and request personal information to include passwords,” he said. “If a consumer is not comfortable providing confidential information to a caller, I would ask they hang up and contact the merchant or institution directly.”
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