CRM (202) 616-2777WWW.USDOJ.GOV
TDD (202) 514-1888
ATTORNEY GENERAL STATEMENT REGARDING THE
INTERNET FRAUD COMPLAINT CENTER
"Good afternoon. Every day more Americans are logging on to the Internet -- to buy goods, to chat with friends, to learn more about the world around them. But, with each passing day, more Americans are also becoming victims of fraud on the Internet.
"In 1999, Americans filed nearly 18,000 complaints with the Federal Trade Commission about various types of Internet consumer fraud. They ranged from complaints about online auctions to sales of computer hardware and software.
"Over at the Securities and Exchange Commission, Americans are filing between 200 and 300 complaints each day about possible securities fraud schemes on the Internet.
"That is why last February -- the Justice Department established the Internet Fraud Initiative. It is an effort in which dedicated prosecutors are policing the information superhighway. Since that time, we have made considerable strides in combating Internet fraud. "Thanks to the initiative we now prosecute criminals who steal credit card numbers online and use them to make purchases without the victim's knowledge. We now pursue con artists who offer bogus products at online auctions. We now go after people who disseminate false information online about a company to artificially manipulate stock prices for their own profit; and, we now are prosecuting identity thieves who steal personal information about someone else and use it as their own.
"Through our National Advocacy Center and the FBI Academy, we are also training hundreds of U.S. prosecutors and agents - and even select groups of foreign prosecutors and investigators - on how to investigate and prosecute these kinds of cases.
"And, in addition, I and the other G-8 Justice and Interior Ministers have agreed to undertake a comprehensive response to Internet fraud, including prevention, investigation, prosecution, and appropriate sentencing.
"But, we all understand that we must, and we can, do more.
"That is why today I am so pleased to announce the opening of the Internet Fraud Complaint Center, or the IFCC.
"The Center will provide law enforcement at all levels - federal, state and local - with something they have been asking for a long time - a "one-stop-shopping" approach to identifying Internet fraud schemes and referring them to the proper law enforcement agency.
"As part of the center, we have created a web site located at w-w-w.i-f-c-c-f-b-i.g-o-v which gives consumers nationwide the ability to file Internet fraud complaints online. Consumers can go directly to the secure web site to submit complaints, and the center can then pass that information on to the appropriate local, state or federal law enforcement agencies.
"Today's announcement would not be possible without the close coordination and assistance of dedicated individuals in the private sector. That is why I am joined today -- not only by Ruben Garcia of the FBI -- but by Glen Gainer of the National White Collar Crime Center.
"Law enforcement authorities have told us they need a nationwide mechanism to gather and review these types of Internet-related complaints. Today's center is that stop on the information superhighway where law enforcement and consumers can meet and make the road safer for us all. "I want to thank the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center for their work in making the center possible. And now I'd like to introduce someone who has been a true leader in this effort-- FBI Assistant Director Ruben Garcia."
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