TEST YOUR INVESTIGATIVE KNOWLEDGE
Answers follow the questions

 

1. What do the following stand for:

a. ACH b. AECA c. ANFO d. ANI e. BIC f.  BSA g. CCL h. CCTV i. CFE j. CFR k. CHIPS l. CNPP   m. CO/REMOBS n. CPP o. CVV p. DCM q. DHS r.  DPPA s. DS t. DTMF u. DUNS v. EAR w. ECPA x.  EDGAR y.  EEA

z.   EOD aa. FBIS bb. FinCEN cc. FCPA dd. FCRA ee.  FDCPA ff.   FOIA gg.  FSO hh.  GLB ii.    HIFCA jj.   IAEA kk.  IANA ll.    IBAN mm  ICJ nn.  IED oo. IMF pp. IPO qq. ITAR rr.  KYC ss.  LASE tt.   LIBOR uu.  MICR vv.  MLCA ww. NISPOM xx.   OFAC

yy.   OSAC zz.    OTAN aaa.  OSCOR bbb. PETN ccc.  PIR  ddd. PTO eee.  RDX fff.    RF ggg.  RFID hhh.  SAC iii.     SAR jjj.    SFO lll.     SIC mmm. SIPRI nnn.  SOX ooo.  SSN ppp.  SWIFT qqq.  TSCM rrr.    UCC sss.   UID ttt.    USC uuu.  VIN vvv.  WIPO www. CDLIS xxx. DCCL

2. What is the significance of this grouping: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Washington?

3. What is the significance of this grouping: Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Cleveland, Richmond, Atlanta, Chicago, St. Louis, Minneapolis, Kansas City, Dallas, San Francisco?

4. How can one obtain another company’s EIN?

5. What do the following indicate:

1. The first digit of a VIN?

2. The first 2 digits of an EIN?

3. The first 2 digits of an ABA routing number?

4. The first or last letter of a diplomatic license plate?

5. The first 3 digits of an SSN?

6. What public record regarding the payment of judgments is available at the county clerk’s office but not online?

7. What is the difference between a bug and a tap?

8. What is a:

1. Spectrum analyzer?

2. Non-linear junction detector?

3. Frequency counter?

4. Infinity device, or a hook-switch bypass?

5. Time domain reflectometer?

9. The following are examples of what? 

1. DEN, ICT, MIA, ORD, PHL

2. AO, EI, KY, MW, ZW

3. 7, 32, 54, 256, 964

10. What are loops, whorls, and arches?

11. Define a submachine gun.

12.  True or false: revolvers generally do not have a safety. 

13. What is the difference between hi-explosives and low-explosives?

14. What is a relative effectiveness factor?

15. True or false: a hand-held device exists that can locate hidden cameras, even pinhole cameras, whether they are on or off?

16. What is the difference between a misdemeanor and a felony?

17. Misdemeanors and felonies are the two categories of what?

18. Federal court records are available on what system?

19. What is SAFER?

20. What is a docket sheet?

21. What is an indictment?

22. 10-K and 10-Q refer to what?

23. What is a bearer bond?

24. What is the difference between articles of incorporation and a certificate of incorporation?

25. True or false: a company’s articles of incorporation and bylaws are public records.

26. True or false: it is legal for a company to use a ficticious business name.

27. What is a foreign corporation?

28. Define money laundering.

29. What is the significance of the following terms: define, link, site, filetype, allintitle?

30. What is:

1. CODIS?

2. IAFIS?

3. FARA?

4. BINCS?

5. CAGE?

6. IPLS?

7. IOSCO?

8. CFIUS?

31. What international organization maintains a list of debarred firms?

32. Entities on the Excluded Parties List are excluded by whom and from what?

33. A Specially Designated National is designated by whom and for what?

34. What is the significance of this grouping: Black, Brown, Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, Silver, White?

35. What is the difference between U-235 and U-238?

36. What is the significance of the following grouping: English, French, Arabic, Russian, Spanish, Chinese?

37. What is the significance of the following grouping: Russia, India, the United States France Britain, Pakistan, China?

38. True or false: A non-profit organization is prohibited by law from making a profit.

 

 

 

 

 ANSWERS

 

a. Automated Clearinghouse
b. Arms Export Control Act.  The statute.
c. Ammonium Nitrate Fuel Oil   
d. Automatic Number Identification

e. Bank Identifier Codes
f.  Bank Secrecy Act  or here.  The statute.

g.  Commerce Control List
h.  Closed Circuit Television
i.  Certified Fraud Examiner
j.  Code of Federal Regulations

k   Clearing House Interbank Payment System

l.   Country Nuclear Power Profiles
m.  Central Office Remote Observance
n.  Certified Protection Profession

o.  Card Verification Values or here
p.  Deputy Chief of Mission

q.  Department of Homeland Security

r.   Driver Privacy Protection Act.  The statute.
s.   Diplomatic Security
t.   Dual-Tone Multi Frequency
u.   Data Universal Numbering System  

v.   Export Administration Regulations
w.  Electronic Communications Privacy Act.  The statute.

x.    Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis and Retrieval System 
y.   Economic Espionage Act.  The statute 

z.    Explosive Ordnance Disposal
aa.  Foreign Broadcast Information System
bb.  Financial Crimes Enforcement Network
cc.  Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.  The statute.
dd.  Fair Credit Reporting Act.  The statute.
ee.  Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.  The statute.    
ff.    Freedom of Information Act
gg.  Foreign Service Officer

hh.  Gramm-Leach-Bliley or here.  The statute and links.
ii.     High Risk Money Laundering and Related Financial Crimes Areas
jj.   International Atomic Energy Agency
kk. Internet Assigned Numbers Authority

ll.   International Bank Account Numbers
mm. International Court of Justice

nn.   Improvised Explosive Device 

oo.  International Monetary Fund 

pp.  Initial Public Offering
qq.  International Traffic in Arms Regulations
rr.   Know Your Customer

ss.  Limited Area Search Engine 

tt.   London Interbank Offered Rate
uu.  Magnetic Ink Character Recognition
vv.  Money Laundering Control Act.  The statute. 
ww. National Industrial Security Operating Manual
xx.   Office of Foreign Asset Controls
yy.   Overseas Security Advisory Council

zz.   NATO in French (Organisation du Traite de l’Atlinque Nord)
aaa. Omni-Spectral Correlator
bbb. Pentaerythritoltetranitrate
ccc.  Passive Infrared
ddd.  Patent and Trademark Office
eee.  Cyclotrimethylenetrinitramine
fff.    Radio Frequency

ggg.. Radio Frequency Identification
hhh.. Special Agent in Charge
iii.     Suspicious Activity Report.  Download an SAR.
jjj.    Serious Fraud Office
lll.    Standard Industrial Classification

mmm.  Stockholm International Peace Research Institute

nnn.  Sarbanes-Oxley
ooo. Social Security Number 

ppp. Society for Worlwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication
qqq. Technical Surveillance Counter Measures
rrr.    Uniform Commercial Code.    UCC Forms.   The statute.

sss..  Universal Identifier
ttt..    United States Code
uuu.  Vehicle Identification Number
vvv.  World Intellectual Property Organization

www. Commercial Driver's License Information System

xxx. Detailed Country Code List
   2.  Two-party consent states.
   3.  Federal Reserve Districts. 
   4.  Available at www.freeErisa.com.
   5.  What do the following indicate:

1. Country of origin.

2. The IRS District Office which issued the EIN.  Learn more.

3. The Federal Reserve District where the bank which issued the check is located.  Learn more.

4. The individual’s status (i.e., D is diplomat,  S is staff).  At the beginning of the license plate number, the letter indicates a country's embassy or consulate.  At the end, a country's UN Mission.  Learn more. 

5. The state in which the SSN was issued.  Learn more.

6. Notice of partial satisfaction of judgments.

7. A bug is placed in a room and a tap is placed on a telephone.  Learn more.

8. Answers:

1. A spectrum analyzer displays radio signal frequency and strength on a cathode ray tube.  Learn more.

2. A device which detects certain electronic components (used in hidden transmitters, etc.), as opposed to nails or studs in a wall.  Learn more.

3. A frequency counter displays the frequencies being broadcast in a given area.  Learn more.

4. An infinity device or hook-switch bypass is a device placed inside a telephone which allows the mouthpiece of the phone to become a transmitter even if the handpiece is on the phone, in effect transmitting what takes place in the room.  Learn more.

5. A time domain reflectometer sends a pulse down a telephone line to determine if and where there is a tap on that line.  Learn more.

9. The following are examples of what? 

1. Airport codes (Denver, Wichita, Miami, Chicago, Philadelphia)

2. Internet abbreviations and seaport codes (Angola, Ethiopia, Cayman Islands, Malawi, Zimbabwe).

3. Country telephone codes (Russia, Belgium, Argentina, Uganda, Iraq). 

10. Fingerprint identification features. 

11. A weapon that fires pistol ammunition and requires two hands to operate.  Learn more.

12. True.  Learn more.

13. A high explosive is what is generally understood to be an explosive; it detonates.  A low explosive by itself does not detonate but burns.  If encased, it acts as a propellant (i.e., gunpowder in a bullet).  Learn more.  Links.

14. The power of an explosive as compared to TNT, which has a relative effectiveness factor of 1.0.  Learn more.

15. True.  Learn more.

16. Generally speaking, a misdemeanor is crime for which the punishment is under 1 year imprisonment.  A felony is a crime for which the punishment is over 1 year imprisonment.  Learn more.

17. Crimes.

18. PACER.

19. Safety and Fitness Electronic Recording System. 

20. A docket sheet is a form listing all court filings and orders in a given case.  Docket sheets are public records and are available at the courthouse.  Federal court docket sheets are also available online at PACER.  Many states have their own online system providing docket sheets. Commercial databases exist which provide docket sheets from courthouses in many states.  Learn more.

21. An indictment is a formal written accusation by a grand jury charging a person with a crime, allowing a prosecutor to try the accused in court.  An indictment is not evidence of a crime; the prosecutor still has to prove the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.  Learn more.

22. SEC filings.

23. A bearer bond is a bond payable to the actual holder of that bond as opposed to a registered owner of a bond.  A bearer bond therefore has no record of ownership.  The opposite of a bearer bond is a registered bond, which is a bond whose owner’s name is recorded by the bond’s issuer.  Learn more.

24. Articles of incorporation are filed by the incorporator with the state in order to incorporate a company.  A certificate of incorporation is issued by the state to the company and recognizes that the company has been incorporated.  Learn more.  Note, that some states refer to articles of incorporation as a certificate of incorporation - click here.

25. False.  Articles of incorporation but not bylaws are public records.  Bylaws are the rules a company adopts to run its affairs.  Many companies make their bylaws publicly available even though it is not legally required.  Learn more.

26. True.  A ficticious business name is a name a business can publicly use, other than the legal name of the business.  It is also referred to as "doing business as" (DBA or d/b/a).  Ficticious business names are public records; some counties make them available online, for example, Orange County, CA.  Of note, a/k/a stands for "also known as," referring to individuals.

27.  A corporation doing business one state but incorporated in a different state.  Learn more.

28. Money laundering is a process by which proceeds of illegal activities are inserted into a legitimate banking or other financial institutions, then to be withdrawn as legitimate funds.  Money laundering is done to hide the fact that this money was produced from illegal activities.   Money laundering can also be done through the purchase of goods with proceeds of illegal activities, with the subsequent return of “clean money” from the sale of those goods.  Links.

29.  Advanced Google search functions.  Compare [terrorism] and [terrorism filetype:pdf].

30. Answers:

1. Combined DNA Index System

2. Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System

3. Foreign Agent Registration Act

4. Business Identification Number Cross-reference System

5. Commercial and Government Entity

6. Internet Parts Locator System

7. International Organization of Securities Commissions 

8. Committee on Foreign Investment in the US

31. The World Bank. 

32. Entities on the Excluded Parties List are excluded by the U.S. government from receiving federal contracts and other assistance and benefits from the federal government. 

33. A Specially Designed National is person or company designated the the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Department of Treasury, who are acting on on behalf of a targeted country or who are designated as terrorists or drug traffickers. 

34. Resistor color code.  Learn more.   Color code calculator.

35. U-235 and U-238 are isotopes of uranium.  U-235 is fissile and is used in nuclear weapons; U-238 is not.  Only a small percentage of natural uranium is U-235.  To enrich uranium, U-235 and U-238 are separated by a cascade of centrifuges.  The U-235, called enriched uranium is collected for use in nuclear weapons and the U-238, called depleted uranium, is used for other military uses.  Learn more.

36. The six official languages of the United Nations.  Learn more.

37. The seven nations which acknowledge having nuclear weapons.  Learn more.

38. False.  A non-profit organization may make a profit, for example, earn a profit from its annual convention, provided the profit stays within the organization to further its non-profit objects.  Learn more.

 

© 2006 by Richard Horowitz, Esq.  This test can be republished without the author’s permission provided appropriate credit is given.