(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Creating the first European Electronic Crimes Task Force, the
United States Secret Service has signed a memorandum of understanding with Italian police
and postal officials to combat cybercrime. The task force, based on the U.S. Secret Service’s
highly successful domestic Electronic Crimes Task Force model, will be based in Rome,
Italy, to provide a forum through which U.S. and European law enforcement agencies, the
private sector and academia can collaborate to investigate, suppress and prevent computer related
crimes.
The joint agreement, signed in Rome by U.S. Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan, Chief of
Italian Police Antonio Manganelli, and Italian Postal Service Chief Executive Officer
Massimo Sarmi, creates new opportunities to share relevant insight, expertise and resources
between the international law enforcement community to combat the transnational cyber
crimes which threaten the financial security of businesses and individuals worldwide.
"Cybercrime knows no borders,” said Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan. “We believe
that partnerships at the international level are essential in combating the ever-changing
landscape of cybercrimes.”
The Electronic Crimes Task Force approach developed by the Secret Service has generated
unprecedented partnerships among law enforcement at the local, state, federal and, now,
international level, the private sector and academia. The types of investigations handled by
the Electronic Crimes Task Forces encompass a wide range of computer-based criminal
activity. Examples include network intrusions, hacking cases, identity theft, and other
computer related crimes affecting financial and other critical infrastructures.
The Secret Service has a rich history of working collaboratively with other law enforcement
agencies and believes in partnerships versus membership, where there is a strong emphasis
on prevention and education, in addition to traditional law enforcement measures. The
Electronic Crimes Task Force model provides a productive framework and collaborative
crime-fighting environment in which the resources of its participants can be combined to
effectively and efficiently make a significant impact on cybercrime. Other law enforcement
agencies bring additional criminal enforcement jurisdiction and resources to the task force,
while representatives from private industry and academia bring a wealth of technical
expertise and research capabilities.
About the United States Secret Service
The U.S. Secret Service has taken a lead role in mitigating the threat of financial crimes since
the agency’s inception in 1865. As technology has evolved, the scope of the U.S. Secret
Service’s mission has expanded from its original counterfeit currency investigations to also
include emerging financial crimes. As a component agency within the U.S. Department of
Homeland Security, the U.S. Secret Service has established successful partnerships in both
the law enforcement and business communities – across the country and around the world –
in order to effectively combat financial crimes.