Make a survey of the crimes and court cases that are reported in the news in one week.

Watch the news on TV and read newspapers to find out which crimes and cases are reported.

Give a summary of cases for the week. Which cases are the most common? Which ones get the greatest media coverage?

Choose one case that you think is particularly interesting. Describe it in detail.

16. Read the conversation between Nancy Bryant, a fraud prevention officer, and a journalist. Answer the questions:

- What does Nancy do in her job?

- Why is Internet fraud easier for criminals these days?

- What does Nancy say about cheap offers for Internet shoppers?

- What two things should you never give over to Internet?

- What is phishing?

- What two features tell us a website is probably safe?

J. Nancy, fraud is becoming more and more common. Every day we hear of new cases of people losing large amounts of money.

N. That’s right.

J. And your job is…?

N. My job is to tell the public what’s happening, and explain how to stop fraud.

J. The main idea you’re working on now is Internet fraud. Is that right?

N. That’s right. Internet fraud is easier for criminals because it’s so impersonal. In the old days they had to make fake cheques and to be actors. Now they can steal money without ever meeting their victims.

J. Nancy, what can we actually do to prevent Internet fraud?

N. Many things. Firstly, be careful about shopping online. If someone offers you something incredibly cheap, then it’s a dangerous sign. Or if you see an offer asking you to invest your money now, be careful. Most real investment opportunities don’t work like this. They don’t come looking for strangers over the Internet.

J. What about giving your details over the net?

N. Never give bank account numbers or passwords over the net. There is a trick used by criminals called ‘phishing’.

J. What’s that?

N. It’s when you receive an email that says it’s from a famous company. The email always says “Urgent”. And it asks for your details – it asks for your password and other information. And it says, if you don’t do this in 24 hours, your account will close. Now, these emails look very professional. They may have links to real websites. But they are fakes. It’s easy to fake a website, easy to steal logos and copy websites. Anyway, of course the victim panics and gives his information and this is where the problem starts.

J. You mention fake websites. If we’re shopping online, how do we know the website is secure? How do we know it’s safe?

N. Two things. The order form should have the letters ‘https’ at the top of the screen. The ‘s’ means it’s a secure site that hides your information. The second thing is to look for an image of a lock or a key at the bottom of the screen. These usually mean the site is safe. [6]

Listening. ‘The man who escaped’

Listen to the story and choose the correct answer:

1. The police wanted to catch Coke as soon as possible because…

a) he was in Army Intelligence;

b) he was a spy;

c) he could make contact with any of his old friends.

2. The Chief Inspector wanted Baxter…

a) to follow Coke everywhere;

b) to follow Masters everywhere;

c) to arrest Masters.

3. The Chief Inspector wanted to see…

a) if Masters kills Coke;

b) if Coke is innocent;

c) what Masters does if Coke contacts him.

Answer the following questions:

1. Why was it a good thing that the police didn’t catch Coke?

2. What did the Chief Inspector want to see?

3. Why was the Chief Inspector’s plan dangerous?^[7]