The New Forensics: Investigating Corporate Fraud and the Theft of Intellectual Property [Hardcover]

Joe Anastasi (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471269948 | ISBN-13: 978-0471269946 | Publication Date: June 10, 2003 | Edition: 1

An in-depth look at the tools, techniques, and tactics used in computer forensics
The New Forensics introduces readers to the world of business forensics, using interesting vignettes, interviews, and actual crime reports. It examines recent cases in which the use of computer forensics led to evidence linking executives to fraud and covers issues such as the theft of trade secrets, the use of data mining, money laundering, and other types of theft and fraud. Author Joe Anastasi, a well-respected leader in computer and business forensics, leads the reader on a shadowy journey through top-secret government offices and real-life business investigations while covering the moral and legal issues surrounding corporate crime. Case studies, stories, and interviews help highlight important issues and move the book out of the theoretical into the realm of actual practice.
Joe Anastasi (San Francisco, CA) serves as the Global Leader for Deloitte Forensics, which includes the operation of several Cybercrime Computer Forensics labs located around the world. He is a member of the High-Tech Crime Investigation Association and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.

Editorial Reviews

Review

These two books offer very different treatments of the popular subject of forensic science. Investigator Anastasi applies the term to the field of white-collar crime, providing an in-depth look at several real-life case studies of forensic investigations of corporate and intellectual property crimes. While not exactly the same as the "blood and guts" forensic work that we see portrayed in today's popular culture, these cases -of fraud, trade secret theft, and other security breaches -are nevertheless very interesting. Anastasi has written one of the first books dealing with this "new" forensics, a field destined to become more popular, especially as the avenues of white-collar crime expand with the Internet. Although the book is riddled with technical computer lingo, the author does a good job of explaining and putting things in lay reader's terms.
Taking a more traditional approach to the subject, Platt, author of many science books for DK, presents a brief summary of the better-known aspects of forensic science. Replete with many wonderful color photos and illustrations, this short text includes chapters ranging from "At the Crime Scene" and "Human Identification" to "Lethal Agents" and "Crime Without Corpses," including some of the types of crimes covered in the Anastasi book. A four-page time line of breakthroughs in forensic science and a two-page glossary of subject terms conclude the volume. Wile Anastasi's book is recommended for large public libraries and academic libraries serving criminal justice programs, Platt's is recommended for high school and public libraries. —Sara Jent, Univ. of Louisville Lib. (Library Journal, June 15, 2003)

From the Inside Flap

Corporate fraud is alive and well–and so is the business of investigating it. The New Forensics is an inside look at the world of corporate fraud investigation and the men and women who spend every day unraveling the knots of white-collar crime.

Joe Anastasi, Global Leader of Deloitte & Touche’s Forensic Investigations practice, offers a guided tour of the complex world of corporate fraud, explaining how fraud is committed and how he and his team sniff out corporate criminals. Part fraud prevention guide, part Raymond Chandler novel, The New Forensics takes you on a wild, true ride through the modern world of corporate crime, complete with office intrigue and shady dealings. Though it reads like a crime novel, everything in this story is real–the crimes, the criminals, and the forensic experts whose job it is to uncover the truth.

Like police detectives, modern corporate forensic investigators are called to the scene of suspected crimes at any time, day or night. In this case, however, the calls come at the behest of a very concerned corporate board of directors. Outfitted with the very latest in high-tech gadgetry, these digital-age Philip Marlowes fly across the country at a moment’s notice, raid corporate headquarters for files, crack computer systems, and dig up the evidence of misdeeds workers often think they’ve covered up.

The New Forensics offers a firsthand look at this little-known world and the unheralded professionals who investigate it, while examining the high-tech techniques these modern-day forensic investigators employ. You’ll see the secret side of business–a realm plagued by the theft of trade secrets, money laundering, fraud, and thievery on a massive scale. From corporate headquarters to top-secret government offices, Anastasi leads you through the places where the moral and legal battles surrounding fraud, privacy, and government eavesdropping are played out.

Packed with bigger-than-life characters, action-packed detective work, double-dealing, and constant intrigue, The New Forensics is The French Connection for the corporate world–but this time it’s real.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (June 10, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471269948
• ISBN-13: 978-0471269946
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #954,851 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How things would have been if Hercule Poirot had a computer, July 15, 2003

By 

Kathryn L. Newsome (Oakland, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New Forensics: Investigating Corporate Fraud and the Theft of Intellectual Property (Hardcover)

The New Forensics is a fascinating account of the ways in which some unlikely and unsung heroes of the digital age  forensic accounting specialists  ferret out evidence of crimes ranging from corporate fraud to homicide, from intellectual property piracy to secretion of assets from Holocaust victims in Swiss banks. This is no dry textbook: the author obviously has a deep passion for his subject matter and a natural gift for storytelling, both of which come across in an easily readable, almost breezy prose style. In an interwoven series of stories of greed, arrogance and shady dealings  some well known, like Enron and WorldCom, others not so well known - the author gives even the novice a comprehensible education in computer forensics and accounting concepts without "dumbing down" or oversimplifying these topics. Though the techniques used by the investigators and described in this book reflect the state of the art at the time the investigations were conducted, the human weaknesses and strengths that underlie the use of technology both to perpetrate and uncover misconduct are timeless, and they are ultimately the real subject matter of this fine book. For what it has to say, and for way in which the author tells these stories, this book ought to be required introductory reading on college campuses and in business and law schools. In fact, anyone who is interested in real-life crime drama, in computer and software technology and high-tech sleuthing, or in the rise and fall of the "dot-com/dot-gone" economy, will enjoy this book. Highly recommended.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Eye-opener, July 16, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The New Forensics: Investigating Corporate Fraud and the Theft of Intellectual Property (Hardcover)

A must read for everybody in the corrupt world we live in today. It influences everyone of us.

The book gave me, the man on the street, an insight into the investigation of forensic auditors into corporate criminal activities. It was a real eye-opener to see to what extremes mankind will go to satisfies his greed. The way in which it is done is not only clever, it really is brilliant in its simplicity. But for the forensic investigators to reveal these frauds are even more brilliant.

Joe Anastasi explains how the forensic investigators use modern technology to uncover corporate fraud in a way even I, an illiterate in this field of work, can understand. For the first time I comprehend some of the work, pressure and ultimate excitement of tracking down the criminals.

The book reads like a suspense thriller, the most scary part is, it is real life and not fiction!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I could not put this book down, April 16, 2004

By 

m. holzthum (Boston, MA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The New Forensics: Investigating Corporate Fraud and the Theft of Intellectual Property (Hardcover)

A real page turner! I loved this book! I thought it would be dry and technical, but it was surprisingly accessible. It was very breezy. A fun and very informative read.

Thanks to Joe Anastasi for writing this book. I hope that he has another book in the works detailing more investigations because this book ended too soon!