Digital Detective: How Linguistic Slang Analysis Aids Investigations

[Professor]

Abstract: A practical case study on how analyzing word usage, style, and jargon in correspondence helps establish connections between parties, determine their roles, and determine their level of expertise in court cases.

Introduction: When Words Become Evidence​

Imagine an investigator reviewing a suspect's correspondence. Among the dry transactional phrases ("send," "received"), they stumble upon strange words: "live balance," "drop," "minted through a validator". To the uninitiated, these might look like random words or typos. But for a specialist skilled in linguistic forensics, these are the keys to the lock. These words don't just name objects; they reveal roles, establish connections, reveal the author's level of knowledge, and even their psychological state.

In the age of digital crime, evidence rarely remains in the form of fingerprints. It remains in the form of digital traces: messages, forum posts, comments. And the most human, and therefore the most informative, trace is language. This article explores how modern "digital detectives" are using the science of language to solve cases, transforming slang from secret code into evidence.

Chapter 1. Not Just Words: Slang as a Social and Professional Passport​

Language, especially its informal, jargon-like aspects, is more than just a means of communication. It's an identity card. It communicates many things:

• Group affiliation: Using terms like "support," "talk thread," or "guarantor" immediately places a person within the context of certain online communities. It's like finding a membership card for a private club.
• Role and status: Someone who says "I ripped off a sucker" positions themselves as an active participant. Someone who asks "Where can I find clean drops?" is likely a newbie or a buyer. Someone who offers advice on "bypassing antifraud" is probably an expert or a service provider.
• Expertise and experience: An experienced specialist uses terminology accurately and appropriately. A novice may confuse concepts, use jargon unnaturally, or contain spelling errors borrowed from secondhand sources. Analysis helps separate the "techie" from the "hustler."
• Psychological portrait: An aggressive, dismissive tone ("loser," "dumb") suggests certain attitudes. The use of irony, self-deprecation, and idiosyncratic humor are also important touches to the portrait.

Linguistic expertise begins with this simple principle: tell me how you speak, and I will tell you who you are, who you are with, and what you are doing.

Chapter 2. Digital Detective Tools: What and How to Analyze​

The expert works not intuitively, but according to a strict methodology. Here are the main tools:

1. Identifying and verifying jargon.
   The first step is to compile a glossary of the slang used. What does "BIN" mean in this context? Is it a banking term or slang? The expert separates established criminal terms from common internet slang or typos. This often requires specialized databases and consultations with law enforcement officers.
2. Idiolect analysis (individual language analysis).
   Each person has unique linguistic habits: favorite filler words, punctuation idiosyncrasies (for example, always using ellipses… or no periods at all), and specific errors. By comparing messages from different accounts, you can determine whether it's the same person using different handles. It's like handwriting recognition, but in a digital world.
3. Stylometric analysis.
   This is a computer method that studies statistical patterns in text: the frequency of function words (conjunctions, prepositions), sentence length, and paragraph structure. Even if a person tries to change their style, their underlying linguistic patterns often remain unchanged. This helps attribute anonymous texts (for example, forum posts) to a specific person.
4. Analysis of communication roles and networks.
   Who asks questions in correspondence? Who gives instructions? Who acts as an arbitrator ("support")? Who contacts everyone with advertisements for their services? By mapping communications, experts construct the hierarchy of the criminal group, identifying the organizers, perpetrators, technical specialists, and "service personnel" (drops).
5. Contextual and semantic interpretation.
   The same word can have different meanings in different contexts. "Checker" can refer to a card-checking program, or it can refer to the person doing the checking. The expert's task is to reveal the true meaning of the statement within the context of a specific dialogue and the overall group activity.

Chapter 3. Case Study: Investigating the Card Shop Case​

Let's consider a hypothetical example, but one based on real-life practice.

The investigation has access to an archive of correspondence from a closed Telegram channel. The participants communicate under nicknames.

• Step 1. Identifying key terms.
  The expert identifies common phrases in the correspondence: "batch of valid fulls," "need a drop for electronics," "interest after a successful cashout," "cheated on prepayment." This alone indicates a fraudulent scheme involving bank cards and cash withdrawals.
• Step 2. Define roles.
  • "Supplier": He writes, "Uploading a fresh batch of 45** bins. Only for my own cash-out schemes." His language is laconic and professional. He doesn't go into explanations, he dictates the terms.
  • Cashier: Asks: "Is there a drop for 500k in the Central Federal District? I guarantee a clean withdrawal." His vocabulary focuses on logistics and withdrawal security.
  • Technician: Explains: "These fulls must be verified only through my validator, otherwise they'll be lost. The bank's API is aggressive these days." He uses highly technical IT terms (API, validator).
  • Newbie: He asks, "What's a BIN and where can I get a checker? Guys, can you tell me?" His questions and use of terminology betray his low status.
• Step 3. Establishing connections through idiolect.
  The expert notices that "Supplier" in another channel, nicknamed "Old Friend," uses the same unique construction: "like butter" after describing a successful operation, and the characteristic spelling of "four" as "4re." Conclusion: they are the same person.
• Step 4. Proving knowledge and intent.
  The most important thing in court is to prove that the suspects understood the illegal nature of their actions. The use of obviously criminal jargon ("scam," "launder," "dirty money") and discussion of methods to bypass bank security systems are direct evidence of such intent. They didn't talk about "buying goods"; they talked about "cash-out" through "drops."

Result: Linguistic expertise helped not only to read the correspondence, but also to reconstruct the structure of the criminal group, assign roles, and prove each participant's awareness of the illegal nature of the activity.

Chapter 4. Ethical Boundaries and Expert Objectivity​

Working with such material requires the highest professional and ethical discipline.

• Objectivity: The expert's job is not to incriminate, but to explain the meaning of the texts. Their conclusion must be impartial: not "he's a criminal," but "the terms he uses are characteristic of a criminal organization specializing in payment card fraud."
• Confidentiality and security: The expert works with confidential information, often within the framework of investigative secrecy.
• Continuous learning: The language of the internet underground evolves rapidly. Yesterday it was "carding," today it's "BNPL fraud." Experts must constantly update their knowledge.

Conclusion: Word as a Digital Imprint​

In the 21st century, crimes are increasingly committed with words: commands in instant messengers, instructions on forums, advertisements on the dark web. And just as a classic detective searches for fingerprints, a digital detective searches for "language fingerprints".

Linguistic slang analysis is a bridge between the world of technology and the world of human intentions. It transforms a stream of bytes, incomprehensible to the court, into a comprehensible, logical, and convincing story about who, how, and for what purpose acted in the digital shadows.

This field is a striking example of how humanities knowledge is becoming critically important in the technological sphere. Understanding the culture, sociology, and psychology behind language is proving to be a powerful tool for protecting law and order. And there is a profound humanistic meaning to this: even in the darkest corners of the internet, where people try to hide behind anonymity, their own words, chosen by themselves, become the most convincing witness.