Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Criminal.
Best Female Crime Thriller Writers to Read Right Now
A good murder mystery is always exciting, isn't it? Whether it be captivating novels, mystery podcasts, or films, the genre always keeps us coming back for more. When most people think of crime thrillers and mystery novels, we tend to think of them as being a male-oriented genre. However, this isn't really that true. Both men and women are known to enjoy thrilling books filled with mystery, murder, and mayhem.
By Mackenzie Z. Kennedy8 years ago in Criminal
Cybercrime
One only has to watch Mr. Robot to get a clue about cybercrime. Elliot's Fsociety is a group of hacktivists who cancel everyone's debt everywhere and chaos ensues. How real is this kind of threat? In the dark world of hacking and the sinister workings of internet fraud, it is a possibility. Right now. It's like the nothing of The Neverending Story; the nothing is coming and it will find you. Hackers like the Shadow Brokers, who first broke to the surface in 2016, are gunning for us all. They successfully stole from the National Security Agency (NSA) in 2013 and held onto the material for three years. The debate about who the Shadow Brokers are rages on. North Korea, Russia, China, a gang like Mr. Robot's—your guess is as good as anybody else's. WannaCry was a ransomware hack that hit like a tsunami especially in the UK. It shackled the National Health Service affecting emergency rooms and operating rooms throughout the country. Security experts found a flaw in the program and used it as a kill switch. They got a total of $139,000 in bitcoins, and it is believed the North Koreans were responsible. The massive extent of WannaCry was possible thanks to the Shadow Brokers, who leaked Windows flaws. Another ransomware attack was enabled by leaks from the Shadow Brokers. Known as Petya, NotPetya, and several other names, it infected the pharmaceutical giant Merck in this country, a Danish shipping company and a Russian oil company. The program had a flaw used to disable it. Investigators determined that these companies were merely a distraction to enable the hackers to hobble Ukraine. It succeeded; the airport, central bank, transit, and the power company were crippled. Kudos to the Shadow Brokers for that malfeasance.
By Monica Bennett8 years ago in Criminal
Safety
The world is not a safe place. It was the one thing I learned when I lived in Winnipeg for a short period of time. Of course I used to travel to the city, even stayed in hotels around Portage area, and bravely walked the streets in the daylight. But when you actually live there, it has a way of showing its scars underneath the shiny, colorful makeup after a while. There are men leering at you on the bus like dogs hungry for meat. There are even women who sneer or glare down at your body moving through the aisles of Shopper's Drug Mart. Then there are the police who slow down as you try to make it to your room after a long day at school. It isn’t a month until you start to observe your surroundings like a hawk, keep your hair in a tight bun so that no one would use it as a weapon against you, and you buy a switchblade knife for twenty dollars, tucked nicely in your boots. You’re good as golden to roam the streets as safe as anybody can be. Even for a native girl.
By Brianne Morris8 years ago in Criminal
Spy in the Sky. Top Story - April 2018.
Do you ever get the feeling someone is watching? It's not your imagination, especially if you are in the UK or China. While China has the global record for the most cameras, the UK wins if you count per capita. With an approximate number of 500,000, a typical Brit is on camera 300 times a day. The topic is controversial wherever you go. Is privacy being invaded? CCTV is restricted to public areas where people are not supposed to expect privacy. If people can see you, why not cameras? If you've got nothing to hide, what's the difference, right? Some Americans might take issue after the April 15, 2013, bombing of the Boston Marathon. Brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev were known simply as Black Hat and White Hat. CCTV followed their blurred images before, during, and after the two bombs went off, and it led to their arrest.
By Monica Bennett8 years ago in Criminal
Criminal Justice System: Better or Worse
When I think of our criminal justice system, I think about the children our law-enforcement puts down. I think about Eric Garner who was suffocating and practically begged to get a gasp of air. Or about the time when a man was shot right next to his girlfriend because of a broken taillight. “Stay with me. We got busted because of a busted taillight in the back,” she said while the man was bleeding to death with the officer pointing his gun at him.
By Angel Tapia8 years ago in Criminal
Why Missing Children Never Return Home
The Lindbergh Law, The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and The Amber Alert have all been proven successful ways to return thousands of missing children home safe and alive. Sadly, these methods of locating missing children have been enforced after a child has been senselessly murdered by their captor. However, since the inception of these methods, a lot of cases involving missing children still go unsolved and perpetrators are never caught. What follows are a few possible explanations as to why a lot of cases of missing children have gone cold and unsolved. Leaving the public baffled and heart-broken. Not to mention bringing every parents' and relatives' worst nightmare to life. I hope to provide at least some insight into why and how this tragedy unfolds to prevent such miscarriages of justice from happening again and again. The first second when a child goes missing time is of the essence to make sure that they are found safe and alive, and that their captors are apprehended and brought to justice for their crimes. Crimes against the most innocent of all victims: Children. What follows are a few plausible explanations as to why missing children cases go unsolved despite every exhausted effort by the police, the FBI, the mass media, and the public alike. It seems education and prevention are key to protecting innocent children from predators. To protect their safety and security is more crucial than ever in a world that is dominated by greed, blood lust and political corruption. Kids need to know that predators are everywhere. Online, in schools and in political offices. Call 911 and keep telling until you are believed. If approached by a person who tries to harass or intimidate you, know that this is never your fault and help is available.
By Janelle Ouellet8 years ago in Criminal
Top 15 Best Selling Criminal Psychology Books
When most people read about murderers, rapists, and school shooters in the newspaper, it's hard to imagine them as people. It's hard to imagine that someone who could have been your neighbor do things so heinous and horrifying as ending others' lives. However, all criminals were someone's neighbor at one point.
By Ossiana Tepfenhart8 years ago in Criminal
10 Non-Fiction Crime Novels That You Must Read If You Are Obsessed with Serial Killers
Our fascination with murder and serial killers has existed for years. With the evolution and popularity of true crime stories in film and television, there's the books to go with it. These non-fiction crime novels tell the detailed true stories of some of the world's most feared and notorious killers. With some of them still on the loose and murders left unsolved, this only raises our suspicions and peaks more interest about these true stories.
By Madeline Zenk8 years ago in Criminal
Bank Robbery
Today's bank robberies aren't exactly Ocean's Eleven. Truth be told, very few are even like The Handsome Guy Bandit, Steven Milam, who donned a mask to rob banks. Fewer still are robberies like the Battle of North Hollywood, when Larry Phillips Jr. and Emil Mătăsăreanu engaged L.A. police in a devasting street battle.These days, they are the despondent down-on-their-luck average Joes or desperate drug addicts looking for a fix. However, the urgent needs of offenders cause serious problems for banks. Take the case of Stephen Trantel. He was a typical suburban husband and dad. During the economic downfall, he lost his place on the trading floor of the NY Stock Exchange. He pretended to go to work every day, and after trying to cope with the huge expenses of living in a New York City suburb, he decided on robbing a bank for financial relief. He robbed 10, with a total take of $60,000. He was smart. Having researched bank jobs, he figured out that 80 percent of bank robbers get caught because of their use of cars. Many are stolen, witnesses give license plate numbers and descriptions of the car; these were drawbacks he considered. Trantel opted for a nonchalant approach. His car was parked blocks away, usually in an out-of-the-way corner of a parking lot, near a dumpster. Using a cup of coffee as a prop, he'd walk around a bit, then enter the bank leaving the cup on a ledge outside the bank chosen. When he left the bank, Trantel would pick up the cup and saunter away, back to his car where he would change clothes behind the dumpster. Stephen was caught because they found a fingerprint on one of the notes he would hand to a teller. He was arrested in 2004, and released from prison in 2012.
By Monica Bennett8 years ago in Criminal
Top 12 Must-Read True Crime Memoirs
The world has always been fascinated with crime. From Al Capone during the prohibition era to Ted Bundy, we as a people are so interested in anything crime-related. Serial killers have become an immensely popular topic. We analyze which hated their mothers and what bands they loved in hopes that we may one day understand them. The serial killer genre is doing well, with hit shows Dexter and Mindhunter based solely off of characters who kill and commit violent crimes.
By Jesse Kinney8 years ago in Criminal
Craigslist Crimes
Craigslist, the place where you can sell anything, even yourself. It's the place where you can buy anything, including sex. It's also the root of a lot of evil. The crime that ensues for many people begins with a simple post, whether you are buying or selling. Most have heard of Philip Markoff, the Craigslist killer, but he is really A Craigslist killer. There have been 129 of them, with 2017 being the last year for which information is available. That does not reflect the huge numbers of other crimes that have been recorded, but not tallied. Craigslist's answer to the criminality users are subjected to is a cavalier, “With billions of human interactions, the incidence of violent crime related to Craigslist is extremely low.” What they don't do but could do is hire more people to work in the safety division or in ad inspection. There are only 40 people running this show. Backpage was recently shut down for prostitution ads, and for the human trafficking of children for sex. Craigslist needs to take a stand on "Safe Trade" spots. There are many of them, and you can find them at Safe Spots. These safe trade spots are usually set up at police stations, to assure buyers and sellers can exchange money for goods in safety.
By Monica Bennett8 years ago in Criminal
The Green Hat
The water seeped enticingly through the woman’s toes as she waited for night to fall and the moon to peek out from behind the dark gray clouds. Her dyed pink hair was slightly wet from the heavy mist that had descended on her way to the lake, but it was quickly drying from the heavy wind. She probably should return soon, but the moon was so beautiful at the lake, it was worth a possible soaking.
By Emily Pierce8 years ago in Criminal
