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Online fraud rife in the US

You can't move for it

The US is a hotbed of online fraud according to a report just published by the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center (NWCCC).

The report claims a staggering 94.1 per cent of all online fraud complaints reported to the Internet Fraud Complaint Center concern the US with California top of the swindles list for both Net criminals and victims.

This disturbing detail was contained in a report on the first six months of a new anti-fraud operation from the IFCC.

In the six months between May and November 2000, the IFCC received 20,000 complaints about online fraud.

Of these, 6,087 were referred to enforcement agencies throughout the US.

"E-business is no longer just a buzzword," said Texas State Securities Commissioner Denise Voigt Crawford, board member of the NWCCC.

"It's here to stay and we must find ways to help consumers and businesses have confidence in the transaction technology they choose.

"Part of the commitment to our electronic commerce community rests in law enforcement's ability to respond quickly to crime problems as they arise.

"To do that, enforcement professionals at all levels must have training and programs in place to prepare them to meet new challenges," she said.

The report also found that fraud associated with online auctions was the most reported scam accounting for two thirds of all complaints.

Non-deliverable merchandise and payment accounted for a fifth of complaints.

Interestingly, credit and debit card fraud only made up nearly five per cent of complaints.

Yesterday, it was reported that online credit card fraud increased from £2 million to £7 million last year but - a mere trifle compared to the total credit card fruad total of £300 million. ®

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IFCC with a link to the report

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