Document fraud and benefit fraud pose a severe threat to national security and public safety. They create vulnerabilities that may enable terrorists, criminals and illegal aliens to gain entry to and remain in the United States. Document and benefit fraud are elements of many immigration-related crimes, such as human smuggling and human trafficking, critical infrastructure protection, worksite enforcement, visa compliance enforcement and national security investigations.

Targeting Criminal Organizations

To combat this type of fraud, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations has partnered with federal, state and local counterparts to create the Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force to target criminal organizations and beneficiaries behind these fraudulent schemes.

The Secret Service's investigative responsibilities include crimes that involve financial institution fraud, computer and telecommunications fraud, false identification documents, access device fraud, advance fee fraud, electronic funds transfers and money laundering.

Employing High Impact Task Force Teams    

Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force teams maximize resources, eliminate the duplication of efforts and produce a strong law enforcement presence. They combine Homeland Security Investigation's unique criminal and administrative authorities with a variety of tools and authorities from other law enforcement agencies to achieve focused, high-impact criminal prosecutions and financial seizures.