The Secret Service has merged two task forces focused on electronic and financial crimes into a new Cyber Fraud Task Forces (CFTFs), a recognition traditional cyber and financial crimes are converging and that a broader skillset is required for investigating these types of crimes.
The new task forces, which combine the Electronic Crimes and Financial Crimes Task Forces, will improve coordination, information sharing, and the use of best practices in the investigation of financially motivated cybercrime, the agency said last Thursday.
“The creation of the new Cyber Fraud Task Force will offer a specialized cadre of agents and analysts, trained in the latest analytical techniques and equipped with the most cutting-edge technologies,” Michael D’Ambrosio, assistant director of the Secret Service, said in a statement. “Together with our partners, the CFTFs stand ready to combat the full-range of cyber-enabled financial crimes. As the nation continues to grapple with the wave of cybercrime associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, the CFTFs will lead the effort to hold accountable all those who seek to exploit this perilous moment for their own illicit gain.”
Under the new organization, there are 42 CFTFs located throughout the U.S. with overseas locations in London and Rome. The Secret Service said it plans to extend the CFTF network to 160 offices throughout the U.S. and worldwide in the coming years.
Merging of the previous task forces began in March and followed more than two years of planning and pilot evaluations to create a single network under the CFTFs, the agency said.