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Department of Justice (DOJ) Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz and Department Homeland Security (DHS) Inspector General Joseph V. Cuffari announced today the release of a joint review examining law enforcement cooperation on the Southwest border between DOJ’s Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and DHS Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).  The FBI and HSI share many of the same statutory authorities to investigate certain crimes, underscoring the need for agents to share information and manage investigative overlap effectively.

The Offices of Inspector General (OIGs) found that the majority (63%) of FBI and HSI Southwest border agents did not encounter cooperation failures, and agents reported that task forces improved cooperation and allowed for increased collaboration between the FBI and HSI.  However, of the 37% of agents who did experience cooperation failures, 87% reported at least one negative impact as a result, such as loss of trust, unnecessarily prolonged investigations, and failure to gather evidence or apprehend a target. 
The report identified several factors that may have contributed to these cooperation failures, including:

• The FBI and HSI had inconsistent practices, lacked specific policies, and many agents were unaware of requirements related to deconfliction. In February 2019, ICE issued an agency-specific deconfliction policy that may result in improvements.

• Many agents did not understand the other agency’s mission and authorities and did not trust the other agency or its personnel. 

• DOJ and DHS do not have a memorandum of understanding related to cooperation on the Southwest border. 
The DOJ OIG and DHS OIG made five recommendations to the FBI and HSI to address these cooperation challenges.  The FBI agreed with all five recommendations.  HSI agreed with three of the recommendations and did not concur with two of them.
Today’s report is available:

• On the DOJ OIG website: https://oig.justice.gov/reports/2019/e1903.pdf

• On the DHS OIG website: https://www.oig.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/assets/2019-08/OIG-19-57-Jul19.pdf

• On Oversight.gov: https://www.oversight.gov/report/doj/joint-review-law-enforcement-cooperation-southwest-border-between-federal-bureau

Today, agencies across the federal government will commemorate National Whistleblower Appreciation Day. This day memorializes those individuals, from as early as the American Revolutionary War, who have had the courage to speak up and hold our government accountable to its fundamental values.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) relies on whistleblowers to report waste, fraud, and abuse in DHS programs and operations. This effort is led in part by OIG’s Whistleblower Protection Coordinator who is responsible for educating and advising all DHS employees about whistleblower protection rights and remedies.  Additionally, DHS OIG’s Whistleblower Protection Unit, responsible for handling all allegations of whistleblower retaliation filed with the OIG, has reviewed 184 retaliation complaints during the first half of fiscal year 2019.

“Today, we recognize the vital contributions of the whistleblowers who have and will continue to shape our democracy by ‘blowing the whistle’”, said Deputy Inspector General Jennifer Costello.  

Individuals who are aware of fraud, waste, abuse or mismanagement of DHS resources are encouraged to contact OIG via OIG’s Hotline or by calling (800) 323-8603. Whistleblowers can choose to remain anonymous when reporting to the OIG and the OIG Whistleblower Protection Coordinator is always available to provide general information to DHS employees and contractors on whistleblower rights and protections.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) is issuing this fraud alert to warn citizens of recent reports that publicly available law enforcement telephone numbers, including those of DHS OIG Field Offices, are being used in a two-part spoofing scam targeting individuals throughout the country.

Part 1: The perpetrator befriends a victim using a mobile app that has a built-in chat feature, such as Facebook Messenger or Words with Friends. Alternatively, the perpetrator feigns romantic interest and pursues the victim through online dating services or chat rooms. After gaining the victim’s trust through the online relationship, the perpetrator describes a minor hardship and persuades the victim to send them a small amount of money.

Part 2: The next day, the victim receives a phone call from a fraudster claiming to be an employee of DHS or another law enforcement organization. The fraudsters will spoof the caller ID of a legitimate law enforcement phone number. The fraudster tells the victim that the funds they provided the day before went to a criminal organization or terrorist group, such the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) or Al-Qaeda, and threatens them with arrest and imprisonment. They then direct the victim to contact a “lawyer” who can help them resolve the matter. The victim contacts the “lawyer” via email or phone and is instructed to pay them $1,000 or more via check, wire transfer, or other methods as a “retainer.”

DHS OIG takes this matter very seriously. While we investigate the situation, we remind the public that law enforcement and other U.S. Government numbers may be subject to spoofing. Individuals receiving phone calls from these numbers should not provide any personal information.  Legitimate law enforcement callers will never ask you to pay fines over the phone or request money from you. If there is a question about the validity of a call, we encourage the public to call the relevant field office number of the government agency and ask to be put in touch with the individual who called you.

Anyone who believes they may have been a victim of this scam is urged to call the DHS OIG Hotline (1-800-323-8603) or file a complaint online via the DHS OIG website www.oig.dhs.gov. By asking the perpetrators for a phone number or email address you can use to contact them to facilitate payment, you may be able to obtain valuable information that could assist DHS OIG investigate the scam. 

You may also contact the Federal Trade Commission to file a complaint and/or report identity theft.