Lexington Town Council approved a request for the Lexington Police Department to enter into a mutual aid agreement with the U.S. Secret Service, a relationship that was already in place, but now has an update to it. According to documents presented at the April 6 meeting, the agreement supports collaboration in the investigation and enforcement of electronic and cyberfraud-related crimes.
“The Lexington Police Department has had an ongoing relationship with the U.S. Secret Service, a mutual aid agreement focused on electronic and cyber crimes, for a number of years,” LPD Public Information Officer Sgt. Cameron Mortenson said. “This agreement has provided training, equipment and support to our Criminal Investigations Division to prevent, detect and mitigate complex cyber-enabled financial crimes that affect victims in the town of Lexington. As a new detective joins the task force, the agreement is updated with the approval of Lexington Town Council.”
The updated agreement will provide a detective in the department’s Criminal Investigations Division with specialized training and equipment to conduct forensic examinations of mobile phones and computers. The tools and training are expected to reduce the time needed to retrieve information through search warrants, allowing the department to process evidence internally rather than sending devices to another agency.
“A timely collection of electronic evidence gives our investigators a higher chance of making charges in a case and, in some incidents, returning money that has been fraudulently taken,” Mortenson said.
South Carolinians lost $264 million to cybercrime in 2025, according to a release from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crime Complaint Center.
“South Carolina ranked 21st of all states and territories in the number of complaints reported by the public, as well as in the separate 2025 elder fraud report,” according to the release. “South Carolinians reported $264 million in losses, compared to $146 million in losses in 2024, a $118 million increase. Those 60 and older submitted the most complaints and suffered the most severe financial losses at $97.3 million.”
Investment fraud, business e-mail compromises and tech support scams are listed as the top three cybercrimes in South Carolina reported by financial losses.
“As part of our ongoing strategic plan, our goal of decreasing crime means we’re putting more focus on fraud and cybercrimes,” Mortenson said. “All cases of cybercrime are assigned to an investigator for follow-up, and we’re using methods like social media to increase awareness and education to reduce the likelihood of someone becoming a victim. Having an investigator on this cybercrime task force is another way we can hopefully lower those numbers in the future.”
The Lexington Police Department encourages residents to remain vigilant and take steps to protect themselves from scams and cyber-related crimes.
“We see a variety of ways our community can be targeted by cybercrimes, from emails to text messages to phone calls,” Mortenson said. “Question motives before giving personal information or access to your financial accounts. Talk with family members and friends who may be vulnerable and help safeguard their personal information, as well as bank and credit accounts. If you have been scammed or are a victim of a cyber-related crime, report it using the nonemergency hotline at 803-359-6260.”
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