psychoceramics: Online serial killers

["Johannes Scmidt" <r--@h--.com>]

((Source: http://www.mayhem.net/Crime/bodycount.html : The Internet 
Crime Archives page))


C O N F I D E N T I A L     C O N F I D E N T I A L 
D e p a r t m e n t  o f  T r e a s u r y 

United States Secret Service 

Date: 12 February 1994 
To: UnderSecretary in Charge
From: Internet Crimes Division 
Subject: Report Summary: Online Serial Killers 

The Secret Service must alert police agencies and the public to the 
newest menace to emerge from the Internet: online serial killers. 

1. The unregulated nature of the Internet, plus the anonymity of the 
exchanges, allow a variety of antisocial personalities free play in 
their aberrant behavior. The most dangerous of these computer-related 
antisocial disorders is serial homicidal sociopathology. 

2. Of all serial killers known to operate online, similarities far 
outweigh differences. All use similar techniques for meeting their 
victims online, gaining their confidence, and then arranging for the 
murder. All find emotionally vulnerable victims and trade off their 
insecurities. All use chat rooms to avoid discovery by others. All are 
masters of manipulating behavior, able to gratify their victims' 
psychological needs. 

3. Most online serial killers concentrate on a single victim, 
overwhelming them with attention, usually with the promise of a romantic 
affair or a get-rich-quick scheme. One notorious killer, dubbed "Doctor 
Zero" by police, has been known to troll for victims in many locations, 
keeping several on the hook at any one time. Some of the lures are 
incredibly complex and detailed. It has been compared by one apprehended 
online killer to fly fishing. 

4. Because of the immensity of the Internet and the overlapping of 
jurisdictions, control of online predation is extremely difficult and 
seldom attempted. In fact, we believe that there may be as many as a 
dozen online killers presently at work on the Internet. They are usually 
careful to make their victim's murder seem random or unrelated, so there 
is seldom any way to trace the killer's connection to the Internet. 

Conclusion: Internet serial murder is a growing problem. What we know 
may be just the tip of the iceberg. Public complacency is our greatest 
enemy. More funding is needed to police this new arena of criminal 
behavior. 


______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com