ConsumerSentinel is a U.S. government Web site where people can report consumer fraud of all types. Here is information from the site:
Consumer Sentinel: The Cybertool for FraudBusters
The heart of Consumer Sentinel is a one-stop, secure investigative cybertool and complaint database, on a separate restricted-access secure web site, that provides hundreds of law enforcement agencies immediate access to Internet cons, telemarketing scams and other consumer fraud-related complaints. It gives consumers a way to voice their complaints about fraud to law enforcement officials worldwide.
Online since 1997, Consumer Sentinel responds to the fact that sharing information makes law enforcement stronger and more effective. An international, multi-agency joint project, Consumer Sentinel also enhances cross-border consumer education and prevention efforts.
The Consumer Sentinel database, maintained by the Federal Trade Commission, now contains more than one million consumer fraud complaints that have been filed with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies and private organizations.
Law enforcement agents can access Consumer Sentinel through an encrypted Web site to determine whether a reported scheme is local, regional, national, or cross-border, and to help spot trends for law enforcement.
Consumer Sentinel offers law enforcers a variety of tools to facilitate investigations and, if necessary, prosecutions. “Tour Sentinel” provides a behind-the-scenes look at how this works.
In addition to the complaint database, Sentinel features include
- data analysis to identify fraud trends,
- an index of fraudulent telemarketing sales pitches available from the National Tape Library,
- alerts about companies under investigation,
- a contact list, and
- how-to information to help agencies coordinate effective joint action.
Numerous public and private organizations contribute data to Sentinel. Hundreds of law enforcement organizations, including more than 90 federal law enforcement organizations, over 1000 state and local fraud fighting agencies — including every state Attorney General in the U.S. — and various Canadian and Australian law enforcement organizations can access the data.
