Why is the Internet attractive to con artists as a marketing tool?
• It is a global borderless trading environment • It offers instant access to 300 million people • Con artists can be anonymous through the use of fictitious names, multiple aliases, remailers, coffeeshops and libraries with Internet access • State and local governments have limited resources and defined jurisdictional boundaries, while con artists can operate from anywhere with the most modern technologies. • What kinds of offerings involve the Internet? • Use of the Internet to market illegal and fraudulent offerings of investment products • Use of Internet products or services as the subject of the investment • The millions of websites on the Internet are essentially passive and not likely to generate much interest unless aggressively marketed through newsgroups, chat rooms, bulletin boards and spamming. • What is the Department of Corporations doing about it? • Investigates referrals from Department of Corporations counsel, other states, the Department of Corporations Investor Comp
