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Published on 11/10/1999 All articles from this issue

FBI agents talk espionage at Kiwanis Club meeting

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By Clyde Noel

Special to the Town Crier

FBI agents Mary Marsh and Tom Purcell paid a visit to the Kiwanis Club of Los Altos Nov. 2, and kept members on the edge of their seats with stories of espionage and terrorism.

"Information is wealth. It's a commodity and an asset, and it's the lifeblood of business," Marsh said. "The U.S. is no longer isolated and the Internet knows no boundaries. We have to broaden our scope and look around where there might be trouble."

Marsh and Purcell have been with the FBI for a combined 50 years.

"The new agents are trained differently and have a technology background. The FBI is more approachable today,. and you can communicate with the agency," Marsh said. "The FBI web site is http://www.fbi.gov, but that site receives 1 million hits a week."

The two agents are out of the Palo Alto office, and work in the FBI's Awareness of National Security Issues and Response., or ANSIR program.

"Now that the Cold War is over, the threat to United States comes from inside business," Marsh said. "Our economy depends on information technology,.

"More and more contract employees are used by Silicon Valley companies and they don't have the loyalty that regular employees have, so they have to be observed. Espionage agents may act like business insiders. They look like you and think like you, and they can steal your blind," Marsh said.

Purcell acted the part of "Tom the Spy" and explained how he could put a Silicon Valley company out of business. A disc may be worth 50 cents, but the information that was stolen from a company could be worth more than $50 million on a disc.

"I can get one of your badges and go down to Kinko's and duplicate it and walk right in your factory." Purple said. "I can go down to Radio Shack and get a piece of gear that will let me hear anything you say.

Just ring my cell phone and I can find out what happens in your office and your home," Purcell said.

"Companies don't report their losses. It's a $250 billion problem. A survey showed that there is almost never an effective response to losses," Purcell said. "The FBI response is available. Just run it by us. We are very responsive."