Our Investigative Mission
The U.S. Secret Service has a long and storied history of safeguarding America’s financial and payment systems from criminal exploitation. The agency was created in 1865 to combat the rise of counterfeit currency following the Civil War. As the U.S. financial system has evolved - from paper currency to plastic credit cards to, now, digital information - so too have our investigative responsibilities.
Today, Secret Service agents, professionals, and specialists work in field offices around the world to fight the 21st century’s financial crimes, which are increasingly conducted through cyberspace. These investigations continue to address counterfeit, which still undermines confidence in the U.S. dollar, but it is credit card fraud, wire and bank fraud, computer network breaches, ransomware, and other cyber-enabled financial crimes, that have become the focus of much of the Secret Service investigative work.
Types of Crimes We Investigate
Financial and Cyber Crime Investigations
Our primary investigative mission is to protect the financial infrastructure of the United States by investigating complex, often cyber-enabled financial crimes.
Counterfeit Investigations
The threat of counterfeit U.S. currency to the financial system of the United States continues to evolve.
Forensic Expertise
We are home to expert forensic analysts who employ advanced investigative and technological capabilities in support of the Secret Service integrated mission and law enforcement partners.
Impact of Our Investigations
Click Here to View Our Investigative Impacts for FY 2023 in the 2023 Annual Report
Resources
Don't be a Victim of a Scam
Strategy FY 2021 - 2027