C O N F I D E N T I A L C O N F I D E N T I A L
D e p a r t m e n t o f T r e a s u r y

United States Secret Service

Date: 12 February 1994
To: UnderSecretary in Charge
From: Internet Crimes Division
Subject: Report Summary: Online Serial Killers
The Secret Service must alert police agencies and the public to the newest menace to emerge from the Internet: online serial killers.

1. The unregulated nature of the Internet, plus the anonymity of the exchanges, allow a variety of antisocial personalities free play in their aberrant behavior. The most dangerous of these computer-related antisocial disorders is serial homicidal sociopathology.

2. Of all serial killers known to operate online, similarities far outweigh differences. All use similar techniques for meeting their victims online, gaining their confidence, and then arranging for the murder. All find emotionally vulnerable victims and trade off their insecurities. All use chat rooms to avoid discovery by others. All are masters of manipulating behavior, able to gratify their victims' psychological needs.

3. Most online serial killers concentrate on a single victim, overwhelming them with attention, usually with the promise of a romantic affair or a get-rich-quick scheme. One notorious killer, dubbed "Doctor Zero" by police, has been known to troll for victims in many locations, keeping several on the hook at any one time. Some of the lures are incredibly complex and detailed. It has been compared by one apprehended online killer to fly fishing.

4. Because of the immensity of the Internet and the overlapping of jurisdictions, control of online predation is extremely difficult and seldom attempted. In fact, we believe that there may be as many as a dozen online killers presently at work on the Internet. They are usually careful to make their victim's murder seem random or unrelated, so there is seldom any way to trace the killer's connection to the Internet.

Conclusion: Internet serial murder is a growing problem. What we know may be just the tip of the iceberg. Public complacency is our greatest enemy. More funding is needed to police this new arena of criminal behavior.

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