Secret Service Turns to AI, ML to Combat Rising Cybercrime

A ranking official of the Secret Service said that addressing cybercrime has become the agency’s top priority and its agents have turned to artificial intelligence and machine learning to run after cybercriminals. Roy Dotson, the Secret Service’s national pandemic recovery coordinator, explained that new technology gives investigators a better chance of working cases faster and identifying suspects quicker, GovCIO reported Tuesday.

Speaking at an Advanced Technology Academic Research Center event, Dotson said most cases of government-relief fraud involved the use of cryptocurrency because it is notoriously difficult to trace. He added that recent estimates place the amount stolen from the government’s COVID relief funds at around $100 billion.

Dotson revealed that the agency’s leadership has created a cryptocurrency section because the use of digital currencies in facilitating illegal activity “majorly ramped up during the pandemic.” Also, a Global Investigative Operations Center was established within the service to deal with the cross-border nature of cybercrime.

The official added that the Secret Service is also actively investigating business email compromise scams, ransomware as well as fraudulent Initial Coin Offerings, among other illegal activities. He explained that his team has expanded beyond just pursuing criminals involved in pandemic-related fraud, saying their focus is on “whatever the flavor of the day is.”

Dotson emphasized that AI/ML has become a necessary tool in view of the expanded nature of agents’ work. He said that “we are talking billions of records that we have to try to cipher through.” He added that the use of AI/ML has produced leads that would be unavailable to investigators using conventional investigative methods.