Going, Going, Gone: Law Enforcement Efforts to Combat Internet Auction Fraud

摘要

In only five years, Internet auctions have become perhaps the hottest phenomenaon the web. They offer buyers a virtual flea-market with an endless array of merchandise from around the world and they give sellers a storefront from which to market everything from sentimental sports memorabilia to sophisticated computer systems. Every day, millions of items are offered for auction on the Internet; the vast majority of transactions occur without incident. Unfortunately, however, some con artists have identified Internet auctions as an easy way to make a fast buck at the expense of trusting buyers who send a personal check, cashier's check or money order to someone they don't know for a product they've never seen. Typically, such fraudsters offer goods for sale that they do not have, accept payment for goods they don't deliver, provide goods that are not as advertised, or fail to deliver goods in a timely way. On the theory that Internet auction fraud is, like most fraud, best fought on many fronts, the Federal Trade Commission has developed a multi-pronged strategy, Project Safebid, that consists of training, law enforcement and education. The training component of Project Safebid was designed to encourage local, state and federal law enforcement cooperation in the investigation and prosecution of Internet auction fraud. Under the Project Safebid umbrella, FTC attorneys and investigators have conducted training sessions for law enforcement authorities from coast to coast. The FTS's Consumer Sentinel fraud database is integral to coordinating meaningful law enforcement efforts. This binational, multi-state computerized consumer fraud database uses the Internet to provide secure access to over 220,000 consumer complaints for over 200 law enforcement organizations across the United States and Canada. Through Consumer Sentinel, the FTC and partner enforcement officials have been able to track complaints about Internet auction fraud, which have escalated from approximately 100 in 1997 to over 10,000 in 1999. The rising number of Internet auction fraud complaints means a rise in the number of investigations and potential cases. Using Consumer Sentinel data, the FTC is able to refer potential cases to a wide array of law enforcement agencies where the wrong-doers are located.