State Coordinator's Case Example (Fraud)

In early 2012, FinCEN conducted outreach to all of its state and local law enforcement partners, and asked for cases where FinCEN data played a useful role in their investigations. Below, in their own words, is an example of how FinCEN's stakeholders use FinCEN data. It has been edited only for confidentiality and privacy concerns.The following example is from a state coordinator's case. State coordinators are the primary contact points for local and state law enforcement agencies to obtain FinCEN records. Depending on the state, the coordinator could be the attorney general, state police, or the department of public safety. Frequently, the state coordinators are the primary contact point for a variety of resources that can benefit law enforcement agencies.

"A local police department received a complaint from a woman who had fallen victim to an advance-fee lottery scheme perpetrated by an individual from another state. FinCEN matched the local investigator to that state's law enforcement community and we discovered that the out-of-state perpetrator had in fact been victimized by others who had pressed him to send money overseas. FinCEN records were critical in helping local police coordinate their efforts with the other state's law enforcement agency, helping to save valuable man-hours at the local level."