WV Fraud and Diversion Task Force Holds First Meeting to Target Crime

Federal and state officials held their first meeting of the Mountain State Fraud and Diversion Task Force at the FBI’s CJIS facility in Clarksburg to coordinate investigations into criminal activity across West Virginia, WDTV reported.

The new initiative aims to bridge intelligence gaps that have historically allowed bad actors to exploit the state’s systems. By uniting U.S. attorneys’ offices, local law enforcement, and state agencies, the task force intends to create a unified front against sophisticated financial crimes.

“Oftentimes we sort of work in silos,” U.S. Attorney Moore Capito of the Southern District of West Virginia said, noting that a lack of shared intelligence often results in criminals escaping justice. “We don’t share information or intelligence. And sometimes some of the bad guys get away because of it.”

The task force has identified three primary sectors for its investigative focus: health care, taxes, and personal finances. These areas are vulnerable to fraud that can drain public resources and devastate individual livelihoods.

As scammers increasingly utilize digital tools to bypass traditional borders, the scale of the threat has shifted. U.S. Attorney Matthew Harvey of the Northern District of West Virginia emphasized that technology allows perpetrators to target residents from both within the state and from international locations.

“We are now coming at you in full force with the full resources of the federal government, working together with our state and local partners, and we’re not going to take this anymore,” Harvey said. “West Virginia is closed for fraudsters.”

This collaborative approach seeks to eliminate the “silo” effect mentioned by Capito, ensuring that a suspicious transaction flagged by a local bank or a medical provider is communicated instantly to federal investigators.

Law enforcement officials are encouraging residents to be proactive in identifying and reporting potential scams. Because fraud often targets the elderly or those managing complex personal finances, community vigilance remains a critical component of the task force’s broader strategy.