Month: March 2021

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

The FBI Omaha Des Moines Resident Agency and the ATF are asking the community of Ankeny for any information regarding the pipe bomb found on March 2, 2021, near the Lakeside Center in Ankeny, Iowa. Tips can be submitted to omaha@fbi.gov or call 402-493-8688, when prompted press 1.

In addition, the FBI has been made aware of reports last year of sporadic, loud, explosive noises throughout the city. Some of the reports have been described as louder than a gunshot or a firework. If you heard such a noise, we ask that you report it to omaha@fbi.gov or call 402-493-8688, again when prompted, press 1. Please include where you heard the noise, the date, and time.

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

WASHINGTON, DC—FBI Washington Field Office (WFO) Assistant Director in Charge (ADIC) Steven M. D’Antuono is pleased to announce Mr. Julius Spain, Sr., as the recipient of the 2020 FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award (DCLA) for WFO.

Mr. Spain serves as President of the Arlington Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), as well as the organization’s Regional Vice President of Region 3 North, which includes multiple counties in Northern Virginia. In these roles, Mr. Spain has been heavily involved in civil rights matters in the Washington, D.C. and Northern Virginia area. He routinely supports WFO’s outreach and civil rights programs through an open dialogue and information sharing between the two organizations.

Every year, the FBI recognizes nearly 60 individuals and organizations across the country who have supported law enforcement and helped improve their communities.

With sincere appreciation, WFO recognizes the compassion and outstanding service Mr. Spain provided to the National Capital Region during a difficult time. Throughout 2020, Mr. Spain maintained consistent communication with WFO during protests and civil unrest in Washington D.C., and relayed WFO’s commitment to keep all D.C. residents safe.

Despite the restrictions of COVID-19, Mr. Spain continuously engaged with his local branches and increased their overall membership by 50%. He led a 1,000-person rally across Arlington in June for racial justice. He participated as a speaker and panelist in several webinars hosted by the FBI and other partners, including on the topics of hate crimes and protecting the community.

“2020 changed the way many of us engage with our communities, but Mr. Spain’s efforts to continue to build the membership of local NAACP branches and engage with the FBI’s Washington Field Office demonstrated his commitment to help enhance the relationship between the FBI and the communities we serve,” said WFO ADIC Steven M. D’Antuono. “The FBI is grateful for his work and his continued partnership.”

For more information about the FBI’s Community Outreach Program, visit www.fbi.gov.

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) San Diego Violent Crimes Task Force and San Diego Police Department are seeking the public’s assistance to identify the individual believed to be responsible for a bank robbery in San Diego, California.

On March 17, 2021, at approximately 4:15 p.m., a man entered the Wells Fargo Bank, located at 10675 Scripps Poway Parkway, San Diego, California, wearing a green sweatshirt. The man was wearing a black “beanie type” hat on his head and the hood of the sweatshirt was also worn over his head. Upon reaching a teller, the robber presented a message to the teller demanding money from the bank. After receiving a sum of cash, the robber fled on foot.

The robber’s lower face was covered by a light blue paper (COVID) facial mask.

Description of Robber:

• Sex: Male
• Race: Black
• Age: Approximately mid-20s
• Build: Medium
• Height: Approximately 5’8” tall
• Clothing: Green hooded sweatshirt, black hat, dark pants; Blue face mask
• Weapon: None seen

If you have information regarding this robber, please contact:

• San Diego FBI: (858) 320-1800; www.fbi.gov/tips
• San Diego Crime Stoppers: (888) 580-8477; www.sdcrimestoppers.org

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

PHOENIX, AZ—The FBI Phoenix Field Office is warning the public about ransomware attacks in this month’s Tech Tuesday. Ransomware is a type of malicious software, or malware, that prevents you from accessing your computer files, systems, or networks and demands you pay a ransom for their return.

Scammers will often send ransomware through email phishing campaigns. You can unknowingly download ransomware onto a computer by opening an email attachment, clicking an ad, following a link, or even visiting a website that’s embedded with malware.

Tips to protect yourself from ransomware attacks:

• Educate yourself, and, for companies, your employees. Learn how to spot and avoid phishing lures.
• Use multi-factor authentication where possible.
• Disable unused remote access/RDP ports and monitor remote access/RDP logs.
• Make sure you are backing up your data often and that you are backing it up to an off-line source. Ransomware attacks can move quickly— infecting any connected device or on-line storage account. Your back-ups must be segregated and off-line from normal operations.
• Make sure that all devices on your network are using the most current and patched versions of operating systems and applications.
• Make sure anti-virus and anti-malware solutions are set to automatically update and run regular scans.
• Use a pop-up blocker. If you get a pop-up or other message that says you are infected, disconnect the device from the Internet and your network immediately to try to prevent the spread.
• Filter out emails with .exe attachments and set your computer to show hidden file extensions. Ransomware is often delivered as a file with more than one file extension such as example.pdf.exe.
• Have strong passwords and don’t use the same passwords for everything.
• Don’t open attachments in unsolicited emails, even if they come from people in your contact list, and never click on a URL contained in an unsolicited email, even if you think it looks safe. Instead, close out the email and go to the organization’s website directly.

The FBI recommends never paying the ransom, as there is no guarantee that the scammer will send you the decryption key. Beyond that, the money you pay may be used to fund organized crime activity or acts of terrorism while encouraging future criminal activity by these cyber thieves.

If you believe you’ve been the victim of a ransomware scheme or other cyber fraud activity, please contact FBI Phoenix at (623)466-1999. Victims are also highly encouraged to file a complaint with the FBI at ic3.gov.

For more information on ransomware and malware scams and how you can protect yourself, visit https://www.fbi.gov/scams-and-safety/common-scams-and-crimes/ransomware.

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime News

FBI and Partners Continue to Seek Information About Double Homicide, One Year Later