Category: FBI

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

Director Christopher Wray has named Eric Velez-Villar as the assistant director of the Office of Private Sector at FBI Headquarters in Washington. Mr. Velez-Villar, a retired special agent, most recently worked in the private sector.

The Office of Private Sector, under the FBI Intelligence Branch, strengthens partnerships between the FBI and the private sector.

Mr. Velez-Villar started his FBI career as a computer scientist in the San Juan Field Office in Puerto Rico. He became a special agent in 1992 and worked organized crime and drug cases in the McAllen Resident Agency of the San Antonio Field Office in Texas. He transferred to the San Juan office in 1997 and worked public corruption cases and violent crime.

In 2000, Mr. Velez-Villar was promoted to supervisory special agent in the Drug Section of the Criminal Investigative Division at FBI Headquarters. He was detailed to the Drug Enforcement Administration for two years.

In 2002, he transferred to the Santa Ana Resident Agency of the Los Angeles Field Office, where he worked organized crime cases before he was reassigned to supervise the Orange County Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF). Mr. Velez-Villar was promoted to assistant special agent in charge of the Los Angeles counterterrorism program in 2004, overseeing three regional JTTFs.

Mr. Velez-Villar was promoted to deputy director of the Terrorist Screening Center in 2006, then returned to Los Angeles as the special agent in charge of the office’s Intelligence Division in 2007. In 2009, he was named deputy assistant director in the Directorate of Intelligence at FBI Headquarters, in charge of the Intelligence Operations Branch.

In 2012, he was promoted to assistant director of the Directorate of Intelligence and was elevated to executive assistant director of the Intelligence Branch in 2014. He retired in 2016 and served as a vice president for security at the Walt Disney Company. He also established a security consulting firm.

Mr. Velez-Villar earned a bachelor’s degree from the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico and an MBA from the University of Southern California.

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

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

October is #CybersecurityAwareness Month. During this time, the FBI reminds everyone to #BeCyberAware! In honor of this recognition, today’s Tech Tuesday report will focus on one of the most important things people can do to stay safe: Avoid the Click!

Welcome to the Oregon FBI’s Tech Tuesday segment. Today: Building a digital defense against the click.

You’ve heard it time and again—DON’T click on that link! Whether it came by text, email, or a social media post, that link could cause you endless grief.

That link is part of what’s called a phishing scam—phishing with a “ph”. Scam artists need you to click on the link so they can download malware onto your device or trick you into logging into what you think is a legitimate website. In seconds, you have now given them access to your phone or laptop AND the user ID and password to your bank account.

Why do you click? That part of the scam is called social engineering. The bad actor’s goal is to generate extreme fear or happiness in you—or maybe even just a strong sense of curiosity. He just needs you to act before you think.

For instance—you receive a text with a link claiming to be a video of you. It could be innocent enough (you were eating!) or distressing (you were caught naked or in an otherwise compromising act). You really, REALLY, want to see what that video shows. (See attached image.) Don’t fall for it and certainly don’t click!

Here are some helpful hints on how to stay safe, thanks to our partners at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC):

• Don’t respond to calls or texts from unknown or suspicious numbers.
• Never share your personal or financial information via email, by text message, or over the phone.
• Be cautious if you’re being pressured to share any information or make a payment immediately.
• Remember that government agencies will never call you to ask for personal information or money.
• Most importantly—don’t click any links in a text message. If a friend sends you a text with a suspicious link that seems out of character, call them to make sure they weren’t hacked.

If you are the victim of an online scam, you should report the incident to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov or call your FBI local office.

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

DALLAS—FBI Dallas Division is joining FBI Headquarters’ nationwide initiative to build public awareness of hate crimes and to encourage reporting to law enforcement. Throughout the entire Dallas Division territory, from Lubbock to Lufkin, advertising will appear at Dallas Love Field, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, area gas stations, digital billboards, on AM and FM radio, and mobile/digital/web mediums.

Hate crimes are the highest priority of the FBI’s civil rights program because of the devastating impact they have on families and communities. The FBI defines a hate crime as a criminal offense against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender’s bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity.

“One of the FBI’s top priorities is to defend the civil rights of the communities we serve. We actively work with our law enforcement partners to investigate hate crimes and achieve justice for victims impacted by violence,” said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. DeSarno. “The FBI wants to reassure the public that we will pursue individuals who commit violent, hateful acts against any member of our community.”

The FBI is the lead investigative agency for criminal violations of federal civil rights statutes and works closely with local, state, tribal, and other federal law enforcement partners in many of these cases, even when federal charges are not pursued. The FBI also works proactively to detect and prevent incidents through law enforcement training, public outreach, and partnerships with community groups.

Victims and witnesses of any hate-related incident are encouraged to report the information to law enforcement. After a report is made, it is assessed by the FBI and then dedicated resources and specialized expertise are engaged to determine the best course of action for investigation and adjudication.

The FBI protects all victims of crimes, regardless of their country of national origin or immigration status. If you believe you are victim or a witness of a hate crime, you are encouraged to report it to the FBI by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI or submitting an online tip at tips.fbi.gov. You may remain anonymous.

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

The Buffalo FBI Field Office has been alerted to an increase in the number of complaints involving “grandparent scams” happening in western New York. These scams target the elderly with local losses in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Nationally, from January 2020 to June 2021, the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received over 650 reports of potential grandparent scams, resulting in losses of more than $13 million. During that timeframe, over 90 victims reported money was picked up from their home, resulting in losses of more than $3.6 million.

This is the version of the grandparent scam that law enforcement has been alerted to in western New York:

• An elderly person receives a phone call from someone claiming to be their grandchild;
• The grandchild is frantic and panicked and claims to have been in a serious car accident;
• The grandchild is in distress and says they have been arrested and in need of bail money;
• The grandchild then gives the phone to their attorney who directs the grandparent to go to the bank and withdraw thousands of dollars in cash, to put the cash in an envelope, and then to wait for a courier to arrive at their house to pick it up the money; and
• A short time later a car or van arrives at the home of the grandparent and someone gets out of the car and collects the cash from the victim.

The Buffalo FBI is asking rideshare drivers who have been called to pick up mail or envelopes from an elderly person’s home to immediately report it to law enforcement.

We are also asking the public to please alert family members and elderly neighbors to this fraud. The scammers are convincing and the experience has proven traumatic for the victims.

If someone receives a call like the one described above they should immediately hang up and report the call to their local police department and to the FBI at ic3.gov. The Buffalo FBI is working with police departments and sheriffs’ offices throughout western New York to find and arrest the people involved in these crimes. We are also investigating those who are orchestrating these scams from outside the region.

To learn more about the grandparent scam read this FBI Alert issued on July 29, 2021.