Who is responsible for investigating counterfeit money?

The responsibility for investigating counterfeit money falls to the Secret Service. This agency has a long history of dealing with counterfeiting, as it was originally established in 1865 to combat the widespread counterfeiting of currency in the United States. Their jurisdiction includes the protection of the nation's financial infrastructure, which encompasses investigating and preventing crimes related to counterfeiting, including currency, credit cards, and checks.

The Secret Service employs specialized agents who conduct investigations into counterfeit operations, utilizing various tools and techniques to trace the origin and distribution of counterfeit notes. Their expertise in this field makes them the primary federal agency responsible for ensuring the integrity of U.S. currency.

Understanding the scope of other agencies is beneficial as well. For example, the FBI has a broad mandate that includes many forms of federal crime but does not specifically focus on counterfeit currency like the Secret Service does. U.S. Customs and Border Protection deals more with enforcement at borders and does not specialize in financial crimes specifically. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives primarily focuses on the enforcement of laws relating to firearms and explosives rather than financial crimes.