The United States and Canada are Becoming Borderless in the Cyber Crime Wars

The Federal Trade Commission and Canadian consumer agencies are designating March as Fraud Prevention Month.

"Officials from the Federal Trade Commission and Canadian consumer protection agencies met in Ottawa today to kick off March as Fraud Prevention Month. The initiative is part of an international effort to raise public awareness worldwide of the dangers of fraud, while educating the public on how to recognize and report it. The representatives from the FTC, Canada’s Competition Bureau, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and the Ontario Provincial Police explained how cross-border partnerships are key in fighting the global scourge of fraud."

Fraud Prevention Month will be a theme on OnGuardOnline.gov, which can also be viewed in Espanol (Spanish) at Alerta en Linea.gov.

Both of these sites have a lot of "user friendly" information on how to avoid fraud on the internet.

You can also report fraud to the FTC by filing a "complaint in English or Spanish (bilingual counselors are available to take complaints), or to get free information on any of 150 consumer topics, call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357), or use the complaint form at http://www.ftc.gov/ftc/complaint.htm."

Canada also have a similiar service, Phone Busters, which is accessible in English or Francais (French):

Welcome to PhoneBusters

There is no doubt that in recent years, we have seen a lot of fraud go both ways across the border. Cyber criminals often do this to avoid prosecution AND it's great to see TEAMWORK in fighting this activity.

For a Canadian perspective on this from Government of Canada news, read:

March Declared "Fraud Prevention Month" in Canada and Around the World