Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News

It took nearly seven years for the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) to log its first million complaints. It took only 14 months to add the most recent million.

The IC3 logged five million complaints on March 12, 2020, a few weeks before it marked its 20th anniversary. After a period of record reporting, the center received its 6 millionth complaint on May 15, 2021.

“On one hand, the number holds some positive news,” said IC3 Chief Donna Gregory. “People know how to find us and how to report an incident.” Gregory said more reporting makes the FBI more effective in investigating cyber-enabled crime. “But on the other hand,” she added, “these numbers indicate more people are being affected by online crimes and scams.”

The IC3 collects and reports out its data in an annual report and educates the public by sending out notices about new scams or upticks in certain type of crimes. Its other key role is to support law enforcement. Federal, state, local, and tribal agencies can access the IC3’s data through a secure database, and, with a prompt report, FBI-led teams can support efforts to freeze lost funds.

IC3 saw complaints increase nearly 70% between 2019 and 2020. The top three crimes reported by victims in 2020 were phishing scams, non-payment/non-delivery scams, and extortion. Victims lost the most money to business email compromise scams, romance and confidence schemes, and investment fraud.

Notably, 2020 saw the emergence of scams exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic. The increase in crimes reported in 2020 may have also been due in part to the pandemic driving more commerce and activities online. The latest numbers indicate 2021 may be another record year.

To report a crime or see the IC3’s annual reports and warnings about current crimes, scams, and frauds, visit ic3.gov.

For more information on common online crimes and prevention tips, visit the FBI’s Common Scams and Crimes page.

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News

While the FBI’s most visible efforts to promote diversity within the ranks have focused on recruitment to build up the cadre of special agents, intelligence analysts, and professional staff, the Bureau’s executive corridor has undergone a similarly resolute transition to better represent the communities the FBI serves.

“We keep saying that diversity makes us better and stronger,” Director Christopher Wray said in a speech in 2019. “And we keep saying it because it’s true. Just as the entire FBI has to be representative of the diverse people we serve, our leadership ranks have to be representative of the rest of the organization.”

To that end, the Director has made signature appointments in recent months of two African Americans and two women—one of them the highest-ever ranking Asian American—to the FBI’s top executive positions, a reflection of his commitment to making the 112-year-old organization more representative and inclusive. The FBI’s current slate of executive assistant directors represents the Bureau’s most diverse leadership team ever. Together, they oversee the full sweep of the FBI’s intelligence, criminal, and cyber functions, as well as human resources and technology.

These appointments reflect the Bureau’s long-term commitment to recruit, train, and advance a talented and diverse workforce. In response to questions from members of Congress recently, Director Wray said there’s still much to be done. “I do believe the FBI needs to be more diverse and more inclusive than it is,” he said on March 2, “and that we need to work a lot harder at that, and we are trying to work a lot harder on that.”

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News

Police Week is observed every May; in 1961, President John F. Kennedy declared May 15 Peace Officers Memorial Day, and Police Week is the week on which it falls. The week has traditionally been an opportunity for law enforcement officers to gather for fellowship events, but the COVID-19 pandemic has put many in-person events on hold until October.

“Like you, I’m disappointed that we can’t be together in person this week,” Wray said. “But I’m optimistic that by this fall, we’ll be able to have the in-person Police Week events we all look forward to.”

By several measures, last year was one of the deadliest for law enforcement. According to statistics reported to the FBI, 93 law enforcement officers were killed in line-of-duty incidents in 2020. Of these, 46 died as a result of criminal acts; 47 died in accidents.

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News

Some tips may be sent to one of our Joint Terrorism Task Forces for further investigation. Other cases may go to state or local partners to work with the FBI’s support. Others, according to Wyman, may be worked mainly by entities outside of law enforcement.

“We are investigating this for a law enforcement purpose, but at the same time, we know that not all of the solutions are law enforcement solutions,” he said. “These are complex problems that require complex solutions. We will lean on a host of services including, mental health, social services, and probation and parole.”

Wyman said that the biggest challenge to the approach is in building connections and opening up communication among and between agencies and groups. “There are so many areas where information can be gathered but not shared,” he explained. “We need to break down traditional barriers to information sharing.”

The FBI is working to make connections among school and community groups, social workers, and mental health services and then ensure those are integrated with the FBI and other law enforcement partners.

BTAC also provides specialized training to agents serving as threat management coordinators in each of the FBI’s 56 field offices, so they can build those teams and relationships in local communities.

The system will never be perfect. But the more aware each person is of the signs that someone may be moving toward violence, the more connected agencies and entities are to one another, and the more engaged all of society is in providing services and support to someone who thinks violence is a solution, the more effective our prevention efforts will be.

If you are interested in speaking with the FBI about ways to build threat assessment and threat management teams in your community, reach out to your local field office and ask for the FBI threat management coordinator.

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation FBI Crime News

Nakai’s job is to focus on the Native American communities in the Salt Lake City office’s jurisdiction, which reaches as far north as Montana. She grew up on a reservation in Arizona and has been with the Bureau for almost 30 years. She said when she learned about efforts to formally include Navajo in the FBI’s language translation offerings, she couldn’t say no.

“I feel like it’s a social responsibility,” said Nakai, whose father taught English and Navajo in their home when she was growing up. “I immediately thought, ‘I need to do this.’ And I went back to my early years when my father said, ‘You need to speak your language.’ And this was one of those times when I needed to do this.”

Public affairs personnel at FBI Headquarters immediately saw the value of translating materials into Navajo.

“I was thinking about the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons initiative and our investigative publicity posters and realized that we translate these into other languages, so why not Navajo now that we have official resources?” said Courtney Miller-Hileman, who is a member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina and served as chairperson of AIANAC. “We asked Frank (Fisher) if he was interested, and he ran with it.”