Justice launches Internet fraud complaint center

Attorney General Janet Reno Monday announced the creation of a new center aimed at providing better coordination among law enforcement agencies in tackling complaints of fraud on the Internet.

The Internet Fraud Complaint Center, a joint venture launched by the FBI and National White Collar Crime Center, will allow Internet users to file Internet fraud complaints on the Internet at a new Web site, which will forward them to the appropriate law enforcement agency or other federal agency. The center also plans to develop a national strategy aimed at curbing Internet fraud, disseminating scam prevention information and helping law enforcement and other federal agencies identify Internet fraud trends.

"The center will provide law enforcement at all levels-federal, state and local-with something they have been asking [for] for a long time, a one-stop shopping approach to identifying Internet fraud schemes and referring them to the proper law enforcement agency," Reno said in announcing the new center.

Nearly 18,000 Internet fraud complaints were filed with the Federal Trade Commission in 1999, such as cases involving the offer of high-priced goods at low prices and then delivering either counterfeit items or nothing at all. The Securities and Exchange Commission receives between 200 and 300 complaints a day about possible securities fraud schemes, Reno said.

The new center builds on other efforts aimed at cracking down on the growing list of schemes perpetrated over the Internet. These efforts include the FBI's Internet Fraud Initiative announced last February that established a team of prosecutors dedicated to policing the Internet for fraud, Reno said.