EU to launch scam crackdown

The European Union will officially launch a crackdown on cross-border scams, including Internet fraud, this week, ZDNet UK reports.

The scheme, called the Consumer Protection Cooperation Network, is an Europe-wide network designed to help law-enforcement bodies tackle crooks who defraud victims in one country while operating in another.

This network of consumer protection watchdogs has been in operation since 29 December, 2006, but will be launched officially in Brussels on Wednesday by the EU commissioner for consumer affairs, Meglena Kuneva.

“Con artists are using mass emails or false promises of big earnings to trap vulnerable people,” Kuneva said. “The fraudsters are clever – taking advantage of different legal systems across the EU to target vulnerable people. Their crafty schemes, such as personalising letters and making them look professional, are costing European consumers millions of euros.”

“In the UK alone, over three million adults fall victim to scams each year, costing each one an average of 1,500 euros,” Kuneva claimed.