The U.S. Secret Service announced last week that it “has launched a cryptocurrency public awareness hub.”
Established in 1865 as a bureau in the Treasury Department to suppress widespread counterfeiting, the Secret Service is now under the Department of Homeland Security. Its website states: “We have an integrated mission of protection and financial investigations to ensure the safety and security of our protectees, key locations, and events of national significance.”
The announcement details:
The new website will feature the latest in the agency’s work combating illicit use of digital assets as well as provide public awareness information on digital asset security and how to ensure it remains secure.
Jeremy Sheridan, assistant director of the Secret Service Office of Investigations, explained: “Our obligation to enforce crimes against the nation’s financial systems includes both informing the public on how digital assets work and partnering with them to identify, arrest, and prosecute those engaging in crimes involving digital assets.”
The Secret Service works in close partnership with the U.S. Department of the Treasury to investigate and “directly address the financial motive of cybercrime through asset seizures and other actions,” the announcement adds, elaborating:
Investments and transactions using cryptocurrencies and digital assets are not inherently criminal, however do provide new opportunities for those seeking to commit fraud or otherwise conceal further illegal activities.
