Financial Crime World

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Five Types of Threats to National Security

The following are five types of threats that pose a significant risk to national security in the United States.

Domestic Violent Extremism (DVE)

Characteristics and Challenges

  • DVEs have focused on accessible targets such as civilians, law enforcement and military personnel, government symbols or members, houses of worship, retail locations, and mass public gatherings.
  • The insular nature of DVEs’ radicalization and mobilization to violence makes it challenging for law enforcement to detect and disrupt their activities.

Impact

  • Domestic violent extremism can have a significant impact on communities, law enforcement, and national security as a whole.

Fraud

Scope and Methods

  • Fraud is believed to generate the largest share of illicit proceeds in the United States, with health care fraud generating an estimated $100 billion annually.
  • Increasingly, fraud schemes are internet-enabled, such as romance scams, synthetic identity fraud, and other forms of identity theft.

Laundering Proceeds

  • Proceeds from fraudulent activities may be laundered through various methods, including transfers through accounts of offshore legal entities, accounts controlled by cyber actors, and money mules.

Transnational Criminal Organization Activity

Types of Activities

  • Transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) operating in the United States are a priority threat due to their engagement in a wide range of illicit activities, including:
    • Cybercrime
    • Drug trafficking
    • Fraud
    • Wildlife trafficking
    • Human smuggling
    • Human trafficking
    • Intellectual property theft
    • Weapons trafficking
    • Corruption

Priority Threats

  • Mexican and Russian TCOs operating in the United States remain priority threats.

Cyber-Enabled Threats

  • The Department of Justice is aggressively pursuing a wide range of COVID-19-related fraud schemes.

Foreign Intelligence Entities

  • Foreign intelligence entities and their proxies employ illicit financial practices to fund influence campaigns and facilitate espionage activity by establishing front companies, conducting targeted investments, and gaining access to sensitive U.S. individuals, information, technology, and intellectual property.

Corruption

Crimes Generating Illicit Proceeds

  • Corruption is one of the crimes that generate illicit proceeds in the United States, along with:
    • Fraud
    • Drug trafficking
    • Human smuggling
    • Human trafficking
    • Organized crime