1998年美国国会听证会
情报和安全

证言INVESTIGATIONS美国SECRET服务之前小组委员会TECHNOLOGY，参议院司法委员会1998年2月24日早上好MR恐怖主义和政府信息RICHARD A. ROHDE副助理干事办公室。主席。我想感谢你，委员会的其他成员，你的员工，提供了这个论坛。WE AT特勤做法处理恐怖主义的问题从两个角度：第一，我们的使命保护作为一部分，我们正在密切参与防止恐怖袭击;第二，我们的传统法律强制执行作用，作为一部分，我们开始参与，当它涉及到金融，电信或计算机犯罪调查中的恐怖主义。我希望我的证词将在今天给这个小组委员会和广大公众的新视角相互关系的金融犯罪和恐怖主义，结果之间规定特勤局的贡献打击恐怖主义的斗争，通过我们的调查团更好地理解。纵观其历史，特勤局一直负责以维护美国金融系统的完整性。支付体系的发展增加新技术，如塑料和电子支付系统。其结果是，这些付款系统变得更加具有全球性，导致特勤局扩大其专业知识的金融犯罪调查工作区。如今，特勤尊重世界各地因其专业在罪行这些类型的调查。 MUCH OF OUR SUCCESS IN THE INVESTIGATION OF FINANCIAL CRIMES IS DIRECTLY ATTRIBUTABLE TO OUR PARTNERSHIP APPROACH TO INVESTIGATIONS. THE SECRET SERVICE HAS BEEN AND CONTINUES TO BE AN ADVOCATE FOR DEVELOPING AND MAINTAINING PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE WORLDWIDE FINANCIAL AND LAW ENFORCEMENT COMMUNITIES. WE BELIEVE THESE PARTNERSHIPS ARE THE MOST EFFECTIVE TOOL IN SAFEGUARDING THE WORLD'S FINANCIAL SYSTEMS AGAINST ORGANIZED ATTACKS. THE SUCCESS OF THESE PARTNERSHIPS CAN BEST BE ILLUSTRATED BY THE FOLLOWING EXAMPLES: RECENTLY, THE SECRET SERVICE WAS CALLED UPON BY THE IMMIGRATION AND NATURALIZATION SERVICE (INS) TO ASSIST IN THE INVESTIGATION OF TWO MIDDLE EASTERN MEN ATTEMPTING TO ENTER THE UNITED STATES. DURING A SEARCH OF THE SUSPECTS' VEHICLE, COUNTERFEIT CREDIT CARDS, COUNTERFEIT RESIDENT ALIEN CARDS, AND NARCOTICS WERE FOUND. WHEN A THIRD SUSPECT WAS LOCATED AND ARRESTED, TWO COUNTERFEIT CREDIT CARDS AND ONE COUNTERFEIT DRIVER'S LICENSE WERE FOUND IN HIS POSSESSION. SUBSEQUENT INVESTIGATION DETERMINED THAT THE ACCOUNT NUMBERS EMBOSSED ON THE COUNTERFEIT CARDS WERE ISSUED BY A CREDIT CARD ISSUER LOCATED IN BRAZIL. CREDIT CARD FRAUD INVESTIGATORS WORKING CLOSELY WITH AGENTS FROM OUR MIAMI FIELD OFFICE, HAVE LEARNED THAT AN ORGANIZED GROUP OF LEBANESE NATIONALS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR COUNTERFEITING THESE CREDIT CARDS. SOURCES CLOSE TO THE INVESTIGATION HAVE INDICATED THAT THIS GROUP IS AFFILIATED WITH A MIDDLE EASTERN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION. FURTHERMORE AN INQUIRY WITH OUR INTELLIGENCE DIVISION REVEALED THAT THE SUSPECTS DETAINED BY INS ARE "OF RECORD" AS HAVING TIES TO A MIDDLE EASTERN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION. LOSSES TO DATE FROM THE MISUSE OF THESE COUNTERFEIT CREDIT CARDS ARE IN EXCESS OF SEVENTEEN MILLION DOLLARS. THE INVESTIGATION INTO THE SOURCE OF THE COUNTERFEIT CARD MANUFACTURING PLANT CONTINUES. ANOTHER NOTEWORTHY INVESTIGATION OCCURRED WHEN THE SECRET SERVICE WAS CONTACTED WITH INFORMATION PERTAINING TO A CREDIT CARD FRAUD SCHEME BEING PERPETRATED BY A GROUP OF MIDDLE-EASTERNERS WITH AFFILIATIONS TO KNOWN MIDDLE EASTERN TERRORIST GROUPS. THIS TYPE OF SCHEME IN QUESTION, IS OFTEN REFERRED TO AS THE "REGULATION Z" FRAUD, OR "BOOSTER CHECK/BUST OUT SCHEME." BECAUSE OF OUR EXPERTISE IN THESE TYPES OF INVESTIGATIONS, WE WERE ASKED FOR OUR ASSISTANCE. IN ADDITION, DUE TO THE VARIETY AND SOPHISTICATION OF THE CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES OF THIS GROUP IT WAS DECIDED THAT THE BEST APPROACH FOR A SUCCESSFUL INVESTIGATION WOULD BE TO CREATE A TASK FORCE. THIS TASK FORCE ULTIMATELY INVOLVED MANY FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES, AS WELL AS MEMBERS OF THE FINANCIAL COMMUNITY. THE INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT A GROUP OF MIDDLE EASTERNERS ORGANIZED INTO "CELLS" LOCATED THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES HAD APPLIED FOR AND RECEIVED NUMEROUS CREDIT CARDS. SOME MEMBERS HAD RECEIVED IN EXCESS OF FORTY CREDIT CARDS. THESE CARD HOLDERS SYSTEMATICALLY "BOOSTED" THE CREDIT LIMITS TO THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT AVAILABLE. ONCE THEY ESTABLISHED THEIR PORTFOLIO OF UNSECURED CREDIT CARD DEBT, THEY SUBMITTED WORTHLESS CHECKS AS PAYMENT FOR THESE ACCOUNTS IN ADVANCE OF PURCHASES BEING MADE. IN MOST CASES THESE CHECKS WERE IN AMOUNTS EXCEEDING THE CARD HOLDER!S CREDIT LIMIT, AND IN SOME INSTANCES TWICE THAT AMOUNT. THE CHECK AMOUNTS WERE POSTED TO THE ACCOUNTS PRIOR TO THE CHECKS CLEARING THE BANK. THIS RESULTED FROM THE BANKS' MISINTERPRETATION OF REGULATION "Z" REGULATION "Z" IS A BANKING REGULATION WHICH STATES, "A CREDITOR SHALL CREDIT A PAYMENT TO THE CONSUMER'S ACCOUNT AS OF THE DATE OF RECEIPT, EXCEPT WHEN A DELAY IN CREDITING DOES NOT RESULT IN A FINANCE OR OTHER CHARGE." CRIMINALS EXPLOITING THE BANKS' MISINTERPRETATION OF THIS REGULATION HAS SUBSEQUENTLY GIVEN RISE TO THE TERM REGULATION "Z" FRAUD. BEFORE THE CHECK'S WERE RETURNED AS WORTHLESS, THE CARD HOLDERS PURCHASED MERCHANDISE AND OR OBTAINED CASH ADVANCES, UP TO, AND IN MOST CASES, IN EXCESS OF THE LIMIT ON THE ACCOUNTS THEREBY "BUSTING OUT" THE ACCOUNTS. THE INDIVIDUALS IN THESE CELLS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED AS OPERATING AND TRAVELING THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES, AS WELL AS THE MIDDLE EAST. TO DATE, THIRTY-ONE SUSPECTS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED. SEVERAL DEFENDANTS HAVE BEEN CONVICTED. ADDITIONAL DEFENDANTS HAVE FLED THE UNITED STATES AND ARE CURRENTLY INTERNATIONAL FUGITIVES. EFFORTS TO LOCATE AND ARREST THESE INDIVIDUALS CONTINUE. LOSSES TO FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS HAVE BEEN IN EXCESS OF $4.5 MILLION DOLLARS. SINCE 1991, FRAUDULENT ACTIVITY ON TELECOMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS HAS GROWN SIGNIFICANTLY IN ALL TYPES OF ACTIVITY, INCLUDING STOLEN ACCOUNT NUMBERS, SUBSCRIBER FRAUD AND WIRELESS CLONING FRAUD. REFLECTING THIS GROWTH, THE SECRET SERVICE HAS DOUBLED THE NUMBER OF ARRESTS BROUGHT FOR FEDERAL PROSECUTION FOR THESE VIOLATIONS EVERY YEAR SINCE 1991. THE ABILITY TO OBTAIN ANONYMOUS PHONE SERVICE HAS BECOME BOTH AN ASSET TO THE CRIMINAL AND AN OBSTACLE TO LAW ENFORCEMENT. IN OUR EXPERIENCE, THE SUSPECTS UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR THE FRAUDULENT USE OF TELECOMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS ARE RARELY COMMITTING THIS CRIME EXCLUSIVELY. NUMEROUS INVESTIGATIONS WERE INITIATED AS SIGNIFICANT FRAUD INVESTIGATIONS AND EVOLVED INTO MULTI- AGENCY INVESTIGATIONS INVOLVING NARCOTICS TRAFFICKING, WEAPONS DEALING, AND VIOLENT CRIMES IN WHICH FRAUDULENT ACCESS TO TELECOMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS FACILITATED THE ACTIVITY. ONE EXAMPLE OF THIS TYPE OF ACTIVITY IS THE INVESTIGATION OF A CALL-SELL OPERATION IN THE SOUTHEASTERN AREA OF THE UNITED STATES. THE TERM "CALL-SELL" IS DERIVED FROM AN ORGANIZED EFFORT BY SUSPECTS TO SELL LONG-DISTANCE TELEPHONE ACCESS TO CALLERS USING FRAUDULENTLY-OBTAINED SERVICE. THESE OPERATIONS TYPICALLY ARE USED TO COMPLETE CALLS TO AND FROM INTERNATIONAL LOCATIONS. IN THE CASE FROM THE SOUTHEASTERN AREA, TRACING OF INTERNATIONAL CALLS PLACED WITH CLONED CELLULAR TELEPHONES TO LOCATIONS IN THE MIDDLE FAST, LED TO THE ARREST OF TWO INDIVIDUALS. THESE INDIVIDUALS WERE IDENTIFIED AS THE' SUBJECTS OF A NATIONAL SECURITY INVESTIGATION. THIS CASE ILLUSTRATES THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CRIMES TYPICALLY REFERRED TO AS "WHITE-COLLAR" AND OTHER TYPES OF CRIMINAL ACTIVITY. THE ABILITY OF CRIMINAL ENTERPRISES TO UTILIZE THE PROCEEDS OF FRAUD SCHEMES TO FURTHER OTHER CRIMES CANNOT BE UNDERESTIMATED. IT IS VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT TO COMPLETELY IDENTIFY THE MOTIVES OF A CRIMINAL AT THE OUTSET OF ANY INVESTIGATION. LAW ENFORCEMENT MUST CONTINUE TO UTILIZE ITS SPECIALIZED EXPERTISE COUPLED WITH A STRONG COOPERATIVE EFFORT TO MAXIMIZE ITS EFFECTIVENESS. THE SECRET SERVICE IS CURRENTLY IN THE MIDST OF A MAJOR INTERNATIONAL TRAINING INITIATIVE IN WHICH WE ARE TRAINING AND INTERACTING WITH INDUSTRY AND OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES REGARDING THE GLOBAL IMPLICATIONS OF FINANCIAL SYSTEMS AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS INFRASTRUCTURE VULNERABILITIES. OUR STRATEGY IS TO KNOW THE PARTICIPANTS AND THEIR CURRENT CONCERNS, UNDERSTAND THE TECHNOLOGY, AND RECOGNIZING APPROPRIATE AREAS FOR INPUT. AS THE SECRET SERVICE CONTINUES TO INVESTIGATE FINANCIAL CRIMES, IT HAS BECOME EVIDENT THAT ORGANIZED CRIMINAL GROUPS ARE UTILIZING NUMEROUS SYSTEMIC WEAKNESSES IN THE GLOBAL FINANCIAL SYSTEM TO UNDERWRITE AN ARRAY OF CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES. ALTHOUGH THE SECRET SERVICE IS NOT TASKED WITH THE DIRECT INVESTIGATION OF TERRORISM, THE CONSTANT INTERMINGLING OF THESE CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES DEMANDS THAT THE SECRET SERVICE CONTINUE TO PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE FIGHT AGAINST THOSE FINANCING TERRORISM THROUGH FINANCIAL CRIMES. AS STATED PREVIOUSLY, THE SECRET SERVICE WILL ALWAYS ADVOCATE AND PRACTICE ITS PARTNERSHIP APPROACH IN ITS ROLE AS THE VANGUARD OF THE AMERICAN ECONOMY. THIS CONCLUDES MY PREPARED REMARKS, MR. CHAIRMAN, BUT I WOULD WELCOME ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU OR THE OTHER MEMBERS MIGHT HAVE.