Category: Security News

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

LITTLE ROCK, AR—Special Agent in Charge (SAC) James Dawson of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Little Rock Field Office is pleased to announce the 2020 FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award will be presented to Dr. Rajesh Nayak, a valued member of the FBI Little Rock InfraGard group.

“Dr. Nayak’s work in promoting FBI partnerships within our community is outstanding,” said SAC Dawson. “As an FBI ambassador in Arkansas, his ability to educate businesses, organizations, and neighbors on the multitude of threats we work helps protect our state. FBI Little Rock cannot fulfill our mission of protecting the American people without Arkansans like Dr. Nayak.”

Dr. Nayak’s tireless work with FBI Little Rock’s InfraGard program actively encourages the sharing of cyber-threat information with community and business leaders. The information he circulates in Arkansas educates and protects numerous businesses, hospitals, and schools from malicious cyber actors. Additionally, Dr. Nayak’s informed articulation of the threats Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) pose encourages businesses and private organizations to contact FBI Little Rock for targeted briefings.

“I am incredibly humbled and honored to be the recipient of the FBI’s DCLA award,” said Dr. Nayak. “As President Roosevelt once stated, ‘This country will not be a good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a good place for all of us to live in.’ I share this recognition with the FBI Little Rock Field Office staff and members of the FBI Citizens Academy. They work tirelessly with the community groups, businesses, and the public to disseminate critical infrastructure threat information— thereby protecting Americans and safeguarding our way of life. I am exceptionally gratified working with these honorable men and women who strive every day to make our community a better and safer place to live.”

The FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award was formally created in 1990 to honor individuals and organizations for their efforts in combating crime, terrorism, drugs, and violence in the United States. Every year, FBI field offices throughout the country select a community partner to receive the prestigious award. Last year’s Arkansas recipient was Sophia Said, an advocate for hate crime and terrorism education throughout law enforcement organizations and within various communities.

FBI Little Rock congratulates Dr. Rajesh Nayak and thanks him for his work in protecting our Arkansas communities.

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) State Crime Alerts (b)

The FBI Phoenix Field Office is warning the public of phishing and spoofing scams by criminal actors, and actions you can take to help prevent your chances of falling victim. According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), Phishing scams reported the most victims nationally in 2020, with more than 240,000 victims reporting about $50 million in losses. Spoofing scams saw significantly less victims, about 28,000, but victims reported a much higher money loss of more than $215 million.

In Arizona, IC3 reported over 1,000 victims of phishing and spoofing victims, with a reported loss of around $3 million.

Phishing is the use of unsolicited email, text messages, and telephone calls purportedly from a legitimate company requesting personal, financial, and/or login credentials. The scammer will often include a malicious attachment or link in the message. If you open the attachment or click on the link, they can gain access to your device.

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

Director Christopher Wray has named Michael J. Driscoll as the assistant director in charge of the New York Field Office. He most recently served as the special agent in charge of the Philadelphia Field Office.

Mr. Driscoll has served in New York several times since becoming a special agent in 1996, including his first assignment working counterterrorism cases. He was part of the team that investigated al Qaeda conspirators, including those responsible for the 1998 bombings of U.S. Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania and the attacks on 9/11. In 2003, he was appointed as the FBI’s representative to the al Qaeda Department of the CIA’s Counterterrorism Center.

In 2005, Mr. Driscoll was promoted to supervisor and returned to the New York office, where he led the squad responsible for extraterritorial investigations in Africa. He also led the FBI’s counterterrorism efforts in the New York Hudson Valley region and was later promoted to the coordinating supervisory special agent for New York’s counterterrorism program.

Mr. Driscoll was named assistant legal attaché for London in 2013, overseeing the cyber program and working closely with United Kingdom counterparts. In 2016, he was appointed assistant special agent in charge of Philadelphia’s counterintelligence and cyber programs.

He returned to FBI Headquarters in 2018 as the chief of the Violent Crime Section, which leads the FBI’s Crimes Against Children program and efforts to reduce violent crime. Mr. Driscoll was promoted to special agent in charge of New York’s Criminal Division in 2019 and was later transferred to lead New York’s Counterintelligence and Cyber Division.

He was appointed special agent in charge of the Philadelphia Field Office in 2020.

Prior to joining the FBI, Mr. Driscoll worked in commercial litigation as an attorney. He graduated from the State University of New York in Albany and received his law degree from Hofstra University School of Law.

With more than 2,000 special agents, professional staff, and task force members, the New York Field Office is the FBI’s largest in terms of personnel. It is one of three field offices to be led by an assistant director in charge instead of a special agent in charge.

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

Director Christopher Wray has named Timothy M. Dunham as the assistant director of the Training Division. Mr. Dunham most recently served as a deputy assistant director in the Criminal Investigative Division at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Mr. Dunham joined the FBI as a special agent in 2002 and worked counterintelligence cases in the Chicago Field Office. He was promoted in 2007 to a supervisory special agent in the Counterintelligence Division at Headquarters. In 2009, he transferred to the Counterterrorism Division as the program manager for the FBI’s extraterritorial counterterrorism investigations that originated in Western Europe.

In 2011, Mr. Dunham was detailed to the Central Intelligence Agency, where he coordinated FBI human intelligence operations overseas with U.S. Intelligence Community partners. He transferred to the FBI’s Albany Field Office in New York in 2012 as the supervisor of a Joint Terrorism Task Force squad, overseeing international and domestic terrorism investigations. He later served as the acting assistant legal attaché in the FBI’s newly established office in Stockholm, Sweden.

In 2015, Mr. Dunham was promoted to assistant special agent in charge of the Albany office’s criminal and administrative branches. He returned to FBI Headquarters in 2017 as the section chief of the Leadership Development Program.

Mr. Dunham moved to the Washington Field Office in 2018, where he first served as the special agent in charge of the Counterintelligence Division. In 2019, he was appointed the special agent in charge of Washington’s Criminal Division.

He was promoted in 2020 to deputy assistant director of the Criminal Investigative Division at Headquarters, where he was in charge of programs dealing with transnational organized crime, violent crime, and operational support.

Prior to joining the FBI, Mr. Dunham practiced law in Richmond, Virginia. He earned a degree in accounting from the University of Richmond; Juris Doctor and Master of Business Administration degrees from the College of William and Mary; and a master’s degree in security studies from Georgetown University.