Austrian Police prove an insurance fraud collaboration with CDR
Pizzeria Vs. Chechen Mafia — An Insurance Fraud Collaboration
THE CASE
In the early morning hours, an explosion suddenly went off at a local pizzeria. While there were no signs of electrical malfunction, traces of gasoline were found at the scene. First responders and firefighters had to act quickly and clean up as there was a public event scheduled on that street the following day. As a result, it is possible that environmental evidence was lost.
THE CHALLENGE
The pizzeria owner told police that there was a Chechen mafia group who had threatened burn his business down if he did not pay a “protection fee.” It was difficult to prove that certain members of the Chechen mafia group were involved. Their Call Detail Records (CDR) had no location information. This usually happens if a device is turned off, or if there is no cell coverage in the area. The phone carrier will record that someone tried contacting the device, so the activity time and date is available, but the location data is not, as the device is unreachable.
When investigators analyzed the CDRs of the mafia group, it revealed that they never visited that city nor had visited the pizzeria prior to the arson incident, and that the pizzeria owner had initiated the first contact with them.
Investigators suspected this was a case of insurance fraud and needed to put together the evidence to build their case.
HOW GEOTIME HELPED
By loading the pizzeria owner’s call detail records into GeoTime, it was easy for police to validate his alibi that he was not on-site during the arson incident.
However, they were also able to see that the night before the arson incident, the pizzeria owner deviated from his usual pattern of behavior.
When the mob group’s CDRs were loaded into GeoTime, the activity matrix analysis showed zero activity among the group during the arson incident date and time. This suggests that the entire group was involved
and had all turned off their cellular devices as they were together. The CDRs also showed numerous SMS and voice communications between the group and owner until the arson incident.
GeoTime Features Used:
- Data layering of multiple CDR data sets
- Activity matrix
THE RESULT
By analyzing the CDR’s of all suspects in GeoTime, the police were able to build their case. Convictions were handed to both the pizzeria owner and the Chechen mafia group for their collaborated attempt at insurance fraud.