Jackson, MS - The Secret Service and the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office (MS AGO) today announced the creation of the Cyber Fraud Task Force (CFTF) in Jackson, Mississippi. The partnership between private industry, state, local, and tribal and territorial law enforcement agencies, federal and state prosecutors, and academia will aim to prevent, detect, and mitigate complex cyber-enabled financial crimes with the ultimate goal of arresting and convicting the most harmful perpetrators. The CFTF consolidates use of resources, allows for better data sharing, institutional collaboration, and investigative skills development. The Secret Service has already established CFTFs in domestic offices across the country. Task force officers are all trained at our National Computer Forensics Institute (NCFI), located in Hoover, Alabama.
“The Secret Service is proud to join efforts with our law enforcement partners in Jackson and across the state,” said Patrick Davis, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service Birmingham Field Office. "The Secret Service is steadfast in our commitment to support the Attorney General of Mississippi with the opening of the Mississippi Cyber Fraud Task Force by way of joint cyber-enabled financial crime investigations and through resources made possible through the Secret Service National Computer Forensics Institute in Alabama.”
The NCFI is a state of the art, federally funded cyber training center established to train state and local law enforcement, prosecutors and judges. Training classes include: Digital Evidence Investigations, Social Networking Investigations, Network Intrusion Investigations, Mobile Device Examinations, Gas Pump Skimmer Hunter, Digital Video Recorders, Vehicle Forensics Course, and MAC Forensics Training. The CFTF enhances cyber fraud investigations, to include investigations into wire fraud, ransomware, business email compromise, money mules, and cryptocurrencies.
“Mississippi is home to some of the Nation’s leading investigators, and this Task Force allows for greater coordination, sharing of expertise and resources, and powerful partnerships intended to stop the proliferation of cyber-enabled financial crimes in Mississippi,” said Attorney General Lynn Fitch. “Together, we will hold those accountable who seek to exploit the vulnerable for their own illicit gain.”
Law enforcement partners include the Mississippi Gaming Commission, Mississippi Office of the State Auditor, Forrest County Sheriff’s Office, Hinds County District Attorney’s Office, and Perry County District Attorney’s Office.
For more information please visit secretservice.gov