Now You Can Fight SPAM!!!

SPAM!--It's official... now, we really can fight back.

We hope you have not, but if you have suffered financial loss (money) in a so-called "investment" behind an eMail scam, contact the California Victims of Corporate Fraud Compensation Fund (VCFCF). The California Secretary of State has created this entity to provide restitution to those individuals and business entities that have been victims of a corporate fraud but have been unable to collect on their judgment or criminal restitution order. (Corporations Code section 1502.5; California Code of Regulations, Title 2, sections 22500-22519.): Victims of Corporate Fraud Compensation Fund: call (916) 651-9070, or email at vcfcf@sos.ca.gov.

The California Attorney General, or local law enforcement has the authority to investigate and intervene, in certain situations, on behalf of members of the public involved in disputes with corporations and other business entities or individuals that may be involved in unlawful conduct or that may be making false representations to the public. You may wish to file a complaint with the Attorney General's office in writing to the Public Inquiry Unit at P.O. Box 944255, Sacramento, CA 94244-2550 or call (800) 952-5225 (toll free in California), (916) 322-3360, or through their web site:
http://ag.ca.gov/consumers/general.php.

Regarding the unauthorized dissemination of electronic mail, there is a federal statute known as the CAN-SPAM Act (Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act of 2003) that federal and state law enforcement officials enforce jointly, and there is a California version of the Act located in Business and Professions Code sections 17529 through 17529.9. You also may want to access the "Consumers SPAM" link on the Attorney General's website: http://ag.ca.gov/consumers/general/spam10.php.

Contact the FTC by mail at Consumer Response Center, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20580. You also may wish to visit the FTC's website at: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/menus/consumer/tech/spam.shtm.

Also, a spam complaint may be filed with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which works to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace. To file a complaint or to get free information on this and other consumer issues, you can visit their website at www.ftc.gov, or call toll-free 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357), send spam to the FTC: spam@uce.gov.

Additionally, if you have fallen victim to an internet scam, or know others who have fallen victim to an internet scam, you may wish to file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center, which is sponsored by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Justice Assistance and the National White Collar Crime Center, at: http://www.ic3.gov/complaint.