Types of Digital Traces of Crimes in the Field of Economic Activity and Features of their Study by an Expert

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to highlight various types of digital traces that carry the most significant information in the investigation of crimes in the field of economic activity, and to determine the features of their study by an expert. The author sets a number of tasks: to analyze the types of economic crimes and the methods of their commission for the possibility of the formation of digital traces in the course of the implementation of these offenses; to identify different types of digital traces specific to each type of crime; to study judicial and expert practice in the production of forensic examinations, the object of which are digital traces. The author identifies some types of digital traces that have the greatest forensic significance in the investigation of the above crimes, outlines their peculiarities and main features, and considers certain aspects of the expert study of these digital traces. The author concludes that the most common digital traces in the investigation of economic crimes are electronic accounting documents; information posted on a website used in criminal activities; server data on site registration and account transactions. In this regard, it is most expedient to collect digital traces: a) by seizing a material carrier of information containing electronic accounting documents; b) by creating a screenshot of the site containing the information necessary for the investigation of the crime; c) by sending a request to the owner of the server on whose resources the website used in criminal activities is located. For an expert study of digital traces of economic content, it is necessary to conduct a complex of forensic examinations.