ACCC signs up to combat net fraud
ACCC signs up to combat net fraud
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has signed an agreement with the UK and New Zealand that will help combat Internet fraud and govern the use of confidential personal information.
The arrangement, which was also signed by the UK Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the UK Office of Fair Trading (OFT) and the New Zealand Commerce Commission, establishes a framework for notification, coordination and cooperation on competition and consumer protection enforcement activities, exchange of information and treatment of confidential information.
The arrangement was signed yesterday in Paris where ACCC Chairman, Graeme Samuel, is attending OECD consumer and competition policy meetings.
This arrangement adds to the range of cooperative agreements that the ACCC currently has in place with agencies from the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Korea, Fiji, Chinese Taipei and Papua New Guinea.
The agreement with the US played a vital role in the closing down of a fake Sydney Opera House site recently, where tickets were sold to customers who were either overcharged or received nothing for their money.
DTI Minister Gerry Sutcliffe said the new links "reflect our common determination to tackle global competition and consumer law abuses - particularly over the Internet. The agreements we are signing today strengthen the relationships between our enforcement agencies, and will help us bring the scam-merchants to justice."
A statement issued by the ACCC said that "in the current climate of globalisation, cooperation arrangements such as these provide the framework for the ACCC's ongoing efforts in combating, for example, the potentially harmful effects of international mergers, cartels and consumer fraud.
"The ACCC is also currently exploring the possibility of entering into cooperation agreements with other counterpart agencies to ensure that cross-border investigations and enforcement activities can be undertaken in a timely and effective manner."
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