A surprising new method for catching out online fraudsters has been uncovered by researchers studying computer mouse movements. Cognitive scientists created AI software that can spot when a person is lying thanks to changes in the way they move their onscreen pointer, with 95 per cent accuracy. The findings could be used as an additional security step to detect criminal activity when we provide sensitive information over the internet. Cognitive scientists who measured the mouse movements of a group of 40 participants of a computerised quiz have found that their AI software can spot a liar with 95 per cent accuracy. The researchers found that fake answers produced a different style of movement to people who were answering truthfully, particularly in unexpected questions which required additional thinking or research to answer.

The team came up with their innovative way of discerning fact from fiction online via a unique experiment -- 20 volunteers were asked to memorize the details of a fake identity, and assume it as their own. The subjects then answered a set of yes-or-no questions via a computerized form, as did 20 truth-telling volunteers. Questions included "is xxxx your name?" and "were you born in 19xx?" -- each answer was recorded, as was how the subjects' mouse cursors moved, from the bottom of the screen to "yes" and "no" buttons in the top two corners. You don't move your mouse in quite the same way as everyone else -- and it could help prevent identity theft: https://t.co/hsJarr0B7A To weed out the truly exemplary liars in their test group, in addition to 12 questions about their identity, subjects were also asked 12 unexpected questions based on the volunteers' new identities.

Identity theft is often a multi-layered process. Once a thief gets one bit of your information, they try to use it to get more. The hackers behind the 2015 data breach of the US Internal Revenue Service (IRS), for example, used personal information they'd previously stolen from thousands of Americans to answer security questions on the IRS website, and in turn get access to their tax returns. The security questions asked about personal details, like, "On which of the following streets have you lived?" and, "What is your total scheduled monthly mortgage payment?" The hackers in the IRS case successfully got through that security measure, but what if the agency had a system in place that could detect whether the person answering the questions really was who they claimed to be?

By tracking cursor movement, lie detection becomes a game of cat and mouse. Every year, millions of people have their identities stolen. There's no foolproof way to pinpoint fakers, but thanks to Italian researchers, investigators may soon have another tool at their disposal--a way to suss out frauds and other liars online with just a few clicks of a mouse. Traditional methods of lie detection include face-to-face interviews and polygraphs that measure heart rate and skin conductance. But they can't be done remotely, or with large numbers of people.