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
News Releases
U.S. Secret Service Names Former NYPD Communications Advisor as New York Field Office Spokesperson
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Secret Service is pleased to announce that James Byrne will join the agency as a public affairs officer assigned to the New York Field Office effective May 20.
Prior to joining the Secret Service, Byrne was a detective…
Law Enforcement Agencies Conduct EBT Fraud and Card Skimming Outreach
LAS VEGAS - The U.S. Secret Service, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, the Nevada State Police, the Clark County School District Police Department, and the Henderson Police Department conducted a payment card skimming and Electronic…
United States Attorney Announces Return of Indictment Charging 21 Defendants in Bank Fraud Conspiracy Case
SHREVEPORT, La. – United States Attorney Brandon B. Brown, United States Secret Service Resident Agent in Charge Felton L. Joseph, Jr., and Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge Lyonel Myrthil, announced today that a federal…