Category: Federal Bureau of Investigation

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

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

PHOENIX, AZ—The FBI Phoenix division and Phoenix Chapter FBI Citizens Academy Alumni Association invite all interested Arizona high school juniors and seniors to apply to the FBI Phoenix Teen Academy. Classes will be held virtually every Thursday starting June 17, 2021 to July 8, 2021, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The FBI Teen Academy provides an opportunity for high school students to catch a behind-the-scenes look at the FBI. Upon completion of the course, students will foster a greater understanding of the FBI’s mission and how we serve our citizens, community, and nation.

During the academy, students are given the opportunity to learn about how evidence and hazardous material are collected at crime scenes; hear from members of the FBI SWAT team; learn about hostage crisis negotiation; and meet FBI agents and other FBI personnel who support our overall mission—to protect the people of the United States and defend our constitution.

The FBI offers many career paths including: Special Agent, Accounting, Nursing, Intelligence, and Administration. Any student with an interest in the FBI is encouraged to apply. This program is not exclusive to students interested in criminal justice.

This is a competitive program, and not all applicants will be selected. Student selection for the Teen Academy will be based on a quality application and essay. The application, release form, and a supporting essay must be received by the FBI Phoenix office by April 14, 2021. Incomplete and/or late applications will not be accepted.

The FBI Phoenix and Tucson offices are considering hosting an on-site day where students, in accordance with CDC guidelines, will have an opportunity to see SWAT vehicles, and experience a demonstration by the Evidence Response Team. This in-person day is subject to CDC/DOJ guidelines.

Applications can be e-mailed to px_outreach@fbi.gov for consideration.

For more information on the FBI Teen Academy and to apply, visit: https://www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/phoenix/community-outreach.

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News

What has been the best career advice you ever received? 

“Consider the source” is one of the best and most broadly applicable pieces of advice I have received during my career. It is reinforced over and over at the FBI Training Academy as a cardinal rule in investigations and intelligence analysis, but its application is much broader. 

Throughout our lives we will hear many opinions, feedback, and criticisms about what we are doing, our plans, our decisions, our aspirations, etc. It is important consider them all regardless of whether they are positive, negative, constructive, or condescending. But never forget to consider the source.

Information must be properly framed to be effectively used. For example, let’s say you aspire to do something that has never been done before. Some people might tell you it’s a great idea, and this makes you feel good and motivated, but then others might tell you it’s not possible and give you a list of reasons why. Pause here and remember that everyone is a product of their experiences, culture, biases, personal motivation, etc. This should help you decide how to use their information. If you reflect on what has been said and still don’t see the barriers, then their response might be a common case of saying something can’t be done, when what is really meant is it has never been done. Big difference! 

As one of the few female assistant directors at the FBI, what advice would you offer women who are looking to advance their careers?

In one word—ask! Ask for what you want, ask for opportunities in the areas you are interested in, ask for that meeting you want, ask for what you need to be successful, and so on. In addition to hard work and experience, asking is one of the most powerful actions you can take to create opportunities or get what you need to succeed. 

We have all heard the saying “opportunity knocks,” and while that is sometimes true, waiting for that “knock” should not be the only course of action. I highly recommend proactively asking if the door could open now; otherwise, you might just be standing around waiting for no reason, aside from you thought you had to wait for the “knock.” Sometimes doors are closed for a reason, but why not check?

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News

Director Christopher Wray has named Stanley M. Meador as the special agent in charge of the Richmond Field Office in Virginia. Mr. Meador, a native of Galax, Virginia, most recently served as the chief of staff to the deputy director at FBI Headquarters in Washington.

Mr. Meador began his career as a special agent in 2002 and was first assigned to the Spokane Resident Agency in Washington, a satellite of the Seattle Field Office. He worked violent crime, gangs, Indian Country crimes, intelligence matters, and spearheaded the creation of the Safe Streets and Safe Trails task forces. He also served as a firearms instructor and crisis negotiator.

In 2009, Mr. Meador transferred to the Las Vegas Field Office, where he worked public corruption, violent gangs, and criminal enterprises.

He was promoted in 2013 to supervisory special agent and transferred to the International Operations Division (IOD) at Headquarters, where he served as program manager of Legat offices in the Middle East. Mr. Meador was later promoted to chief of the Asia Unit in IOD, overseeing 11 Legat offices.

In 2015, Mr. Meador was promoted to supervisory senior resident agent of the Wilmington Resident Agency of the Charlotte Field Office, where he oversaw criminal and national security programs.

Mr. Meador was named an assistant special agent in charge in the Philadelphia Field Office in 2019. He led the office’s largest branch—administrative and special operations­—overseeing 12 programs and all crisis management matters.

In 2020, he became chief of staff to the deputy director.

Prior to joining the FBI, Mr. Meador served as a special agent with the Virginia Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Mr. Meador earned a bachelor’s degree from Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia, and a master’s degree from The American University in Washington. He received a Declaration of Valor for his response to the Pentagon during 9/11.