State Attorneys General Unresponsive to Online Fraud and Abuse Complaints

A new report from the Center for American Progress and Center for Democracy and Technology finds that state attorneys general receive thousands of complaints of online fraud and abuse but have launched relatively few cases in response.  In  Online Consumers at Risk and the Role of State Attorneys General, "Attorneys general have not given high priority to online fraud and abuse. Rather, most investigations and prosecutions involving the Internet appear to be focused on sexual enticement of minors and child pornography."  The report recommends that state attorneys general take a number of steps to protect online consumers including:

• assessing the applicability and adequacy of state laws,
• develop computer forensic capabilities,
• train investigators and prosecutors to identify Internet fraud and abuse, and
• devote greater resources to enforcement efforts

[RJ]