[1][2] Such scams or consumer frauds generally fall into four categories:[3] Alternatively, mass market fraud may also be classified as follows: Victim reporting reveals that Internet-based solicitations are among the most common: in the United States, web sites and e-mails accounted for 60 percent of reported contacts in 2009, and Canada noted a 46 percent spike in Internet-related complaints from 2008 to 2009.
[2] Many of the frauds perpetrated online, work on the principle of large number of victims losing relatively small sums of money.
The Office for Fair Trading (2006) research illustrates that in many of the frauds relatively small sums of money are lost – frequently less than £100.
[6] Mass-marketing fraud – whether committed via the Internet, telemarketing "boiler rooms," the mail, television or radio advertising, mass meetings, or even one-on-one talks over people's kitchen tables, has two elements in common.
Recently, the Mass Fraud Quiz Competition, normally known as "Chehra pechano" (identify the Face of Actor/Actress), is being run by fraudsters using communication mechanisms such as print media (daily newspaper), television and through online websites.
[13][14] As per IMMFWG, there are strong indications that the order of magnitude of global mass-marketing fraud losses is in the tens of billions of dollars per year.
A project led by Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), examined global money flows relating to mass marketing fraud schemes.
It consists of law enforcement, regulatory, and consumer protection agencies from Australia, Belgium, Canada, Netherlands, Nigeria, UK, US and Europol.
[16] Royal Canadian Mounted Police Canada has also started a Reporting Economic Crime On-Line (RECOL) initiative.
[19] Canadian and American law enforcement authorities have shown great creativity in developing and participating in a wide range of public education and prevention measures that involve cross-border fraud.
For example, in Canada, the "Stop Phone Fraud – It's a Trap' marketing campaign, as described above, provided public- and private-sector entities with a variety of educational materials and resources.
Fraud Victim Report is sent to Consumer Protection who may publish information about it on the Alerts section of their Scamwatch website.