In an attempt to toughen the state's enforcement powers against widespread electronic fraud, a state representative intoduced a bill Tuesday to do exactly that.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. Joe Atkins, DFL-Inver Grove Heights, would target scams that have victimized tens of thousands of Minnesotans, costing them millions of dollars, according to state public safety officials.
"This goes so much beyond what people joke about," Atkins said, referring to the widespread Internet hoax in which a purported member of African royalty is offing Internet users cash bonanzas."Law enforcement is just hopelessly frustrated by this -- if they had the tools available they need, we wouldn't need a bill."
Currently, the Department of Public Safety's Alcohol and Gambling Division can go after fraud conducted electronically, paritcularly via the Internet and e-mail, but that enforcement power is limited to cases involving gambling, such as lotteries, sweepstakes and prize giveaways, said Jim Arlt, the division's interim director.
"It's a unique crime for law enforcement because the suspect is usually not in your jurisdiction,"Arlt said. "It makes it difficult to address these crimes, which is why they're so prevalent."
Federal law enforcement officials reported last year that people falling prey to such frauds are losing twns of billions of dollars a year worldwide.
Although elderly people are routinely victimized by the frauds, "it's not just senior citizens by any means," Atkins said. "It stretches across all ages and all walks of life."
Atkins' bill would expand the division's supoena power and expand the number and type of frauds it can investigate, while beefing up the reporting requirements for people who are soliciting money.
