The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has joined a global effort of 34 nations to better combat ecommerce issues faced by consumers, including online scams.
The newly updated econsumer.gov website is the centrepiece of this campaign. Launched today in the UK by the International Consumer Protection and Enforcement Network (ICPEN), the site will help law enforcement authorities, including the ACCC, gather and share cross-border consumer complaints that can be used to investigate and take action against legitimate and illegitimate businesses engaged in ecommerce, and particularly online scammers.
As a foundation member of ICPEN, the ACCC views the site as a vital resource to detect and combat fraud, and also to capture complaints from consumers with cross-border issues.
Consumers who have experienced a problem related to ecommerce, including scam victims, are encouraged to use the site to alert consumer protection agencies in 34 countries about the problem.
Consumer complaints filed through the site are entered into a secure consumer complaint database, and are made available to enforcers and regulators in countries with participating agencies. Those agencies may use the complaints to investigate cross-border issues, uncover new scams, pursue regulatory or enforcement actions, and spot consumer trends.
Scams have a particularly harmful effect on Australian consumers. According to the ACCC’s Scamwatch website, nearly $68 million has been lost so far in 2015. Many of these scams operate from overseas and the ACCC is eager to build on its existing efforts to ensure consumers are better protected. The econsumer.gov website will form an important part of these efforts.
The updated website has a new look, is easier to use, and is reader-friendly on tablets and smart phones.
The website provides information for consumers on additional steps they can take to resolve their complaints, complaint trend data, and consumer news from ICPEN members. The website will soon feature additional consumer education resources.
More information is available at econsumer.gov.
About ICPEN
ICPEN is an international network of over 55 consumer protection authorities that aims to protect consumers’ economic interests around the world by sharing information about cross-border issues and encouraging global cooperation among law enforcement agencies.