NCJ Number
158146
Journal
Police Chief Volume: 62 Issue: 10 Dated: (October 1995) Pages: 36,38,41- 42,44,47-48,51
Date Published
1995
Length
8 pages
Annotation
The financial crimes that the United States Secret Service investigates differ sharply from the image of white- collar crime as victimless; they often involve violent, recidivistic offenders and are often international in scope.
Abstract
The investigation of financial crimes is the major responsibility for most Secret Service agents. Established to address the problem of counterfeit currency, the agency now investigates federally insured financial institutions, credit card fraud, electronic funds transfers, U.S. Treasury checks, telecommunications fraud, computer fraud, and any other violations that may affect the United States economy and financial systems. In recent years, the agency has shifted its focus from the number of arrests to large, high- dollar economic impact cases involving organized criminal groups. Financial criminals now include embezzling bank employees, armed robbers at automatic teller machines, heroin traffickers, and criminal organizations that commit bank fraud on a global scale. The Secret Service conducts three types of criminal investigations: financial systems fraud investigations, electronic crimes investigations, and program fraud investigations. The Secret Service believes that the only way to address this fraud is through the task- force approach, a cooperative effort using Federal, State, county, and local law enforcement.