FBI Jacksonville, Homeland Security and other agencies investigating Southside business

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security, and several other agencies began an investigation Tuesday morning at a business on Jacksonville’s Southside.

UPDATE 7:54 p.m.: The company, PAX Technology, provided the following statement on the raid:

On Tuesday, October 26, 2021, PAX Technology, Inc. in the United States was subject to an unexpected visit from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and other government agencies relating to an apparent investigation.

PAX Technology is not aware of any illegal conduct by it or its employees and is in the process of engaging counsel to assist in learning more about the events that led to the investigation.

Separately, we are aware of media reports regarding the security of PAX Technology’s devices and services. PAX Technology takes security very seriously. As always, PAX Technology is actively monitoring its environment for possible threats. We remain committed to providing secure and quality software systems and solutions.

We intend to keep our team and customers apprised of the situation.

In the meantime, it is business as usual at our locations and operations are continuing as normal. The PAX Jacksonville office and warehouse are both open at this time.

ORIGINAL STORY:

We’re working to learn the nature of the investigation at the PAX Technology Warehouse that’s located near the Action News Jax studios, off St. Johns Bluff Road.

The foreign company is one of the largest digital payment providers in the world. It provides the machines like the ones used at stores to pay at checkout.

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In an official FBI statement, agents said they were executing a court-authorized search at the warehouse as a part of a federal investigation.

FBI Statement: “The FBI Jacksonville Division, in partnership with Homeland Security Investigations, Customs and Border Protection, Department of Commerce, and Naval Criminal Investigative Services, and with the support of the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, is executing a court-authorized search at this location in furtherance of a federal investigation. We are not aware of any physical threat to the surrounding community related to this search. The investigation remains active and ongoing and no additional information can be confirmed at this time.”

The FBI did not have an exact timeline on how long the search for evidence could take.

Action News Jax also learned two other sites are involved in the investigation: a building on Freedom Crossing Trail off Philips Highway, and another on Spring Park Road near University Boulevard.

The location off Philips Highway is PAX Technology’s main building in North America, according to the company’s website.

Dale Carson, Action News Jax’s law and safety expert who has decades of experience in law enforcement, including as a special agent for the FBI, said it’s the function of the foreign company that makes the investigation so important.

“Point-of-sale equipment, when you stripe a card or you tap it now, it’s a gateway to you and to the credit company. So any middleman, which is what it’s called, in between that, that is placed in there by someone with evil intent, can obtain information directly from that,” he said.

Carson said there is no way to know what they’re investigation, but that’s what he suspects.

Action News Jax reporter Courtney Cole contacted PAX Technology by phone and email, but has not received a response.

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