Overview[]
The FBI's Cyber Initiative and Resource Fusion Unit (CIRFU) is a spin-off of the Internet Crime Complaint Center that follows the early investigative trail in some complex technical cases. The Unit's analysts eliminate false leads and refine a case before it is referred to a local or international law enforcement agency or task force. The Unit is supported by online organizations and merchants. Federal agents and analysts from industry and academia work together to find out where the crime originates, who is behind it, and how to fight it. They identify cybercrime trends and technologies, develop significant cases, and help law enforcement agencies worldwide identify and combat cybercrimes.
The CIRFU, in conjunction with the National Cyber Forensics and Training Alliance (NCFTA) and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, works with the private sector to operate Identity Shield. Identity Shield is a project in which CIRFU collects personally identifiable information (PII) that has been posted on the Internet by identity thieves and reports it to the major consumer reporting agencies and affected financial institutions. CIRFU and the IC3 also work together to report the thefts to relevant law enforcement agencies.
In June 2014, the CIRFU was moved from the FBI Cyber Division's Cyber Outreach Section to the Cyber Operation Section.