Who is the internet fraud watchdog?

The Internet Fraud Watchdog (IFW) is an independent & privately owned agency responsible for the detection of internet fraud and the protection of their client’s brand and reputation.  

Who retains the IFW?

The IFW is retained by a variety of corporations their legal counsel as well as sports governing bodies & committees involved in large sports & entertainment events. The IFW does not provide services to the general public.

Which areas does the IFW work in?

The IFW assists brand owners, manufacturers, media rights-holders including sports governing bodies, licensed broadcasters, programme distributors, film and music studios, photographical agencies, software and videogame developers, publishing houses, event organisers, website owners, pharmaceutical industry and music artists.

Why use the internet fraud watchdog?

The IFW is completely unique because of its global reach and extensive track record of success with the investigation and prosecution of Internet pirates, website scammers and online fraudsters. The IFW senior management team has over 50 years combined experience tracking down these criminals all over the world. 

What success has IFW had?

The IFW has been involved in exposing the identity of criminals behind some of the largest internet scams in the world including the Beijing Olympic Ticket scam that duped victims in 60 countries out of up to $50M and the identification and closure of a major fake ticketing website prior to the 2007 Rugby World Cup in Paris.  Both of these cases were highly publicised in international media. There are many more examples that can be discussed with IFW senior management.

How much does it costs to retain IFW?

The IFW is committed to offering clients with the cost effective solution to their particular problem; therefore, a tailored fee schedule is prepared following an initial assessment of each client’s specific needs and requirements. Contact your nearest IFW office for further information on the costs of retaining IFW as your partner in combating Internet fraud.

Why can't the Police stop these Criminals?

Internet crime is the fastest growing crime in the world and many sophisticated fraudsters have learnt how to avoid prosecution by exploiting weaknesses in laws that govern online transactions. Most law enforcement agencies either don’t have the jurisdiction to investigate, have no powers of arrest because of the transnational nature of internet crime, or have few resources to hunt down these criminals because the crimes are viewed as non-violent and low-priority. The IFW works to ensure that law enforcement agencies are provided with the correct evidence to commence proper prosecutions within their relevant jurisdictions. 

How do IFW do what the Police cannot?

IFW uses sophisticated software and complex investigation techniques, which involves painstakingly tracking websites, website owners, ISP’s and domain registrars. We monitor the internet and work exclusively for our clients on a 24/7 basis identifying suspect websites and reporting our findings to our clients along with recommendations, for further action and/or legal proceedings.

Why do police refer customers back to their credit card companies? 

Law enforcement agencies have a history of referring complaints back to the credit card processor and often refuse to take any action because they do not recognise that a criminal offence has occurred during the online transaction.  When presented with proper evidence of fraud, police will often be happy to receive a complaint. 

Why can’t the trading standards stop Internet fraud? 

Trading standards, consumer affairs departments and similar government agencies require a significant amount of proof of an online scam before they will commence their own investigation or action.  Even then, there are many cases where Trading Standard has failed to take appropriate action.  For example, the UK Trading Standards and UK Metropolitan Police were told of the pending 2008 Beijing Olympic ticket scam but failed to act because no offences had been yet committed. Law enforcement is reactive in most cases whereas the IFW is proactive and exposes scams before they occur, not after.

What can the IFW do that the Police can’t?

The IFW has implemented sophisticated tracking software and uses proven investigation techniques to track offending websites and individuals operating these websites. Police agencies do not have the international reach or willingness to pursue many offenders unless connected to serious violent crime or terrorism. 

What else can the IFW do for its clients? 

IFW investigators also trace owners of offending websites and work with their ISP’s and domain registrars to shut the sites down and/or provide warning notices to the owner that their site has been flagged. The IFW also monitors the internet and works exclusively for its clients on a 24/7 basis identifying suspect websites and reporting the findings to its clients along with recommendations for further civil or criminal action.  The evidence collected by IFW investigators is professionally presented for use in legal proceedings.

How do you stop these websites?

Fraudulent activity commences with the registering a domain name. IFW investigators monitor all new Domain registrations on a 24/7 basis and flags sites that fit a certain criteria depending on the requirements of clients. If IFW finds that a particular site may breach a client’s intellectual property or may sell unauthorised products or services, IFW will immediately provide a warning notice to the domain owner to inform them that IFW has identified their domain name as a potential threat to our client. The offenders will also be informed that their site will be monitored and legal action may be taken should the site go live. It is the experience of IFW that many potential fraudsters will cease their website development once exposed.

What happens if a website still goes live?

If the website goes live, the IFW will submit a take-down notice to the ISP and inform them that an offending site is breaching our clients’ intellectual property rights and/or is conducting unlawful business using their servers.  In many cases, the ISP will comply and take the website site down. If the website moves to another server, IFW monitoring systems will detect the relocation of the website and again take the appropriate action. 

What happens when the offenders just change servers?

With continual monitoring, the potential scammer tends to give up after a few attempts as it becomes increasingly difficult for them to conceal their activities. The IFW also continually monitors major search engines to identify websites that use PPC (Pay per Click) Advertising and inform those engines that a potential fraudster is paying for advertising. The IFW also informs credit card processing companies who will review the processing licence of the individual or company operating the website/s.

What happens if the site still is live?

Most Internet scams are not carefully planned or designed and the IFW possesses extensive experience in dealing with alternative proven methods of shutting sites down or exposing the activity. 

How can the IFW win the battle against Internet Fraud?

The major problem that drives Internet fraud is the fact the customer does not know who he or she is dealing with.  Offenders take precautions to remain anonymous and often hire website developers who are extremely skilled in designing professional websites resembling sites that are used by major companies and organisations. In our experience, fraudsters have a habit of working from serviced offices, offshore havens and/or from home. 

The persistent fraudster will generally have more than one website. In some cases, IFW investigators have researched and found over 158 websites all linked to one fraudster, spread across many servers worldwide.  Solving the problem starts with contacting IFW and discussing your particular problem.

Yes - there are other companies that carry out investigations into online scams but the IFW is unique because of its ability to combine powerful electronic research with physical investigations in almost any location in the world. The IFW also has a skilled electronic team that monitors our clients businesses 24/7 and often calls on the expertise and resources of its sister company, Gamble Investigations International (GII) www.gambleinvestigations.com