In criminology, a calling card is a particular object sometimes left behind by a criminal at a scene of a crime, often as a way of taunting police or claiming responsibility.[1] The name is derived from the cards that people used to leave when they went to visit someone's house and the resident was absent.[2] A calling card can also be used as an individual's way of telling someone they are alive after they have run away or disappeared without revealing themselves or having direct contact with that person. It is often left at a bed side table while the person is asleep, at the living room floor and sometimes even at a grave yard if they know the times someone goes to visit their loved ones. However, some criminals choose not to leave a calling card, as it may be used by authorities or detectives to trace the criminal, and eventually arrest them.

A calling card from the Inter City Firm, left at the scene of football hooliganism.

Historical examples

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Examples in fiction

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A spider is the calling card for the criminal gang in Fritz Lang's 1919 film, The Spiders

References

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  1. ^ Mauro, Marisa (March 24, 2010). "To Catch a Serial Criminal". Psychology Today.
  2. ^ Keppel, RD (1995). "Signature murders: a report of several related cases". Forensic Sciences (4): 670–4.
  3. ^ Robb, Brian J. (May 2014). A Brief History of Superheroes: From Superman to the Avengers, the Evolution of Comic Book Legends. Hatchet UK.