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How not to leave clues behind

This is an excellent thread.

One of the thoughts that I have had about the Imperium is the usefulness of fake ID's. A well-done fake ID could truly be another person in a different subsector complete with DNA, school records, employment history. The difficulty in tracking these individuals down is monumental in an era where communication is delayed by jump parameters.

Shades of "Day of the Jackal" in that thought, sir! Such identities would have a finite, if sometimes long, lifespan, as eventually the anomalies ("He can't have been in both places at once") would show up in the data trails. This would be more of an issue in more settled and connected regions like the Solomani Rim; there's parts of the Spinward Marches where you might be able to get away with this for decades.

Circling back to the original poster's question, perhaps it's not so much a matter of destroying the evidence as it is leaving the right evidence - in other words, leaving traces that point to someone who's a real person, but really several worlds away at the time the crime is committed.
 
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/18/science/18dna.html?_r=1

as per the DNA bomb posted earlier, but now you could pick someone to frame via DNA evidence.
Interesting business model those folks have. Step 1: Develop method of faking DNA evidence and publish results in scientific journal. Step 2: Sell kit to distiguish faked evidence from real evidence. Step 3: PROFIT!!! :rofl:

Well, I'm laughing now, but actually it's kinda creepy.
 
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Another idea is a type of jumpsuit that covers the entire body and can mimic random DNA sequences or be given a real one to mimic. This could cause the police to hunt down a non-existent DNA sequence or an innocent person rather than digging into records of DNA masking tech sold recently.
 
... One notion I got just yesterday was a "DNA bomb". Sort of like a party bomb, only instead of confetti, it spreads flakes of skin from thousands of innocent people all over the room...
Easy enough to accomplish at any No-Tell Hotel. Just install a HEPA filter over the exhaust of a cheap vacuum cleaner, strip the sheets off the bed, vacuum the mattress, and use the residue from the HEPA filter at the scene of the crime. That ought to conaminate any DNA test, even from a TL-7/8 civilization such as ours.

Similar results could be had by anyone who has access to a barbershop, bloodbank or free medical clinic.
 
Standard tools.

I always wore a chameleon combat environment suit, and used forensics to clean my crime scenes. Forensics for a thief is like psychology for a cop - it lets you know if somebody is hiding something.

But yeah, the old ninja trick of setting your enemies up for the fall works too.
 
I'm afraiid I failed to make myself clear in the first post. I'm talking about a con man who can't afford to run around wearing chameleon suits, or even gloves. He has to live just as an innocent person would -- at least as far as his neighbors (and victims) are concerned.


Hans
 
Then he has a problem.

Because pro-bono legal aid might not be available.

Anyway, coat your fingertips with glue or tape your hands - just be sure to dispose of the tape/glue right, because it preserves your prints perfectly.

Micro-DNA isn't an issue if you leave the doors open, provided you have any kind of good lawyer. The cops might know it's you, but too bad.

Wear a hair net. Bleach and stain your clothes (removes *everything*), and don't bring a weapon. You must be perfectly non-violent - nothing changes the status of the crime like a victim.

To spoof facial-recognition, wear a loose hat, big shades, and use charcoal-black to put false shadows around your facial bones. To spoof motion-capture cameras, carry dry ice and water and move very slowly, or intrude in the right weather to get onto the grounds.

And stay cool. Remember, cops aren't perfect, and they aren't everywhere. Admit nothing, and deny everything if capured.

Does that help?
 
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