Glossary

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Biometrics

physical (or physiological or biometric) characteristics include fingerprints, eye retinas and irises, facial patterns and hand measurements, while examples of mostly behavioral characteristics include signature, gait and typing patterns. All behavioral biometric characteristics have a physiological component, and, to a lesser degree, physical biometric characteristics have a behavioral element.

Certificates of Authenticity

a seal or small sticker on a proprietary computer program, t-shirt, jersey, or any other memorabilia item, especially in the world of computers and sports, which is designed to demonstrate that the item is authentic.

Certificates of Origin

a document attesting that goods in a particular shipment are of a certain origin. This certificate is required by a countries customs authority in deciding whether the imports should benefit from preferential treatment in accordance with special trading areas or customs unions such as the EU or NAFTA or before anti-dumping taxes are enforced.

Check 21

a United States federal law that allows the recipient of a paper check to create a digital version, thereby eliminating the need for further handling of the physical document.

Counterfeiting

To make a copy of, usually with the intent to defraud; forge.

CRF

Case Report Forms used in clinical drug trials.

CRO

Clinical Research Organization (Pharmaceutical/Regulatory)

C-TPAT

Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism

Digital Watermarks

a technique which allows an individual to add hidden copyright notices or other verification messages to digital audio, video, or image signals and documents. Such a message is a group of bits describing information pertaining to the signal or to the author of the signal (name, place, etc.).

DRM

Digital Rights Management

Drug Pedigree

A certified chain of custody detailing each distribution of a drug all the way to the final sale.

EFT

Electronic Funds Transfer

Fraud

deceit, trickery, sharp practice, or breach of confidence, perpetrated for profit or to gain some unfair or dishonest advantage.

Glyph

the shape given in a particular typeface to a specific grapheme or symbol.

GMP

Good Manufacturing Practices

Gray Market

the flow of new goods through distribution channels other than those authorized or intended by the manufacturer or producer.

HIPAA

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act

Hologram

The pattern produced on a photosensitive medium that has been exposed by holography and then photographically developed.

Identity Theft

the fraudulent appropriation and use of someone's identifying or personal data or documents, as a credit card.

Intaglio Printing

a family of printmaking techniques in which the image is incised into a surface, known as the matrix or plate. Normally, copper or zinc plates are used as a surface, and the incisions are created by etching, engraving, drypoint, aquatint or mezzotint.

Intellectual Property

property that results from original creative thought, as patents, copyright material, and trademarks.

IRD

Image Replacement Documents

Kiting

a form of check fraud.

Micro Printing

one of many anti-counterfeiting techniques used most often on currency and bank checks, as well as various other items of value. Microprinting involves printing very small text, usually too small to read with the naked eye, onto the note or item. Microprint is frequently hidden in an inconspicuous, unnoticeable area on the note or item.

Nanotechnology

a field of applied science and technology covering a broad range of topics. The main unifying theme is the control of matter on a scale smaller than 1 micrometer, normally between 1-100 nanometers, as well as the fabrication of devices on this same length scale.

OEM

Original Equipment Manufacturer

OVD

Optical Variable Device

PDMA

Prescription Drug Marketing Act

RDIC

Remote Deposit Image Capture

RFID

Radio-frequency identification is an automatic identification method, relying on storing and remotely retrieving data using devices called RFID tags or transponders. Skimming

When the data in the card's magnetic strip is copied to a duplicate card without the card owner's knowledge.

Taggants

a chemical or physical marker added to materials to allow various forms of testing. Taggants allow testing marked items for qualities such as lot number and concentration (to test for dilution, for example). In particular, taggants are known to be widely used in plastic, sheet and flexible explosives.

TWIC

Transportation Worker Identification Credential