The Evolution of the Secret Service

Jeff Capell will join us to talk about phone scammers. Telephone scams have grown rapidly and it seems like they’re only getting worse. These scams cost Americans billions of dollars per year, but government efforts to combat them are mostly ineffective. At this class we will learn about the scam industry, the most common types of scams, and how to protect yourself and others. We will conclude by learning how you can fight back against the scammers.

This will take us into the world of scambaiting – where ordinary folks waste valuable time of scammers to prevent them from victimizing others, while learning more about their operations and using that knowledge to inform others. Scambaiters have been quite effective at costing scammers money, and you can find numerous viral videos of the hilarious moments their interactions have created. Join us for a fun and informative presentation where we’ll learn about the scamming world and the tactics used by scambaiters to fight back.

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Jim Meyers, a previous US Marine Corps Officer and Vietnam combat veteran, will reflect on his time served as a Special Agent with the US Secret Service during the Nixon and Ford Presidencies. He will educate us on the beginning of the US Secret Service, the post-civil war monetary challenge posed to President Lincoln’s surviving union, the Cincinnati connection (“Greenbacks” and Chase), and the consequent need and spawning of key Federal Law Enforcement Agencies from its own ranks.

In addition, he will cite how the agency’s little-known crime-fighting capabilities have expanded- as technologies have advanced over time and economic risks have been brought to bear on US citizenry by new cybercriminals. These new criminal activities, impact the US economy well beyond the statutes dealing with counterfeiting, forgery of government securities, and personal protection- for which the USSS has been known. And, these new global criminal activities have led to the creation of sophisticated cyber-forensics and interagency task forces to reach the perpetrators.

In addition, the protective intelligence mandate for which the US Secret Service is known globally, has been expanded to include the coordination of local, state and federal law enforcement and intelligence services to oversee the security of selected special events, such as our Cincinnati’s “Flying Pig Race,” “The World Series” of major league baseball, and National Football League’s “The Super Bowl.”

Jim will give his personal reflection on his own time served in Special Agent training, the field office, foreign dignitary protection assignments, and presidential protection serving at The White House, Key Biscayne, and San Clemente. Come prepared to ask Jim questions about things you have always wanted to know about the Secret Service.

Recorded on November 15, 2022