In today’s interconnected world, evidence of financial crimes is increasingly stored on computers and at Internet storage facilities. But those who use computers to commit financial fraud can’t hide from Criminal Investigation’s (CI) Computer Investigative Specialists (CIS) who collect and analyze digital evidence for use in criminal investigations.  “Think about how technology has changed in ten years. You can now use digital cameras, e-mail, or cell phones to store or transfer data, and evidence of today’s financial crimes can be found in those electronic formats,” explained Jet Larson, CIS, St. Paul Field Office.

CI’s Computer Investigative Specialists are senior agents trained in computer forensics and data storage technology. As agents, they are aware of the types of evidence that are needed in an investigation, and as technical experts they can extract evidence from computer networks. They are also schooled in the law of evidence and the chain of custody rules so they can preserve digital evidence in a manner that ensures its admissibility in courts of law.  “We used to go on search warrants and take file cabinets of material; now we take computers.” added Kim Young, CIS, Dallas Field Office. “We are experts in working with computer storage – down to the bit and byte level if necessary – and finding every bit of data that has evidentiary value.”

Today’s investigations are going even further, requiring CISs to follow the evidence out the wire on the back of the computer and into cyberspace as more and more people use the Internet to conduct business and store financial records.  Last year, the CISs collected and analyzed over 100 terabytes of digital evidence.  To put that in context, the entire Library of Congress fits on 16 terabytes.

    
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