Leader: Playing sheriff of the wild, wild web

New government plans to crack down on fraudsters show just how restricted individual countries are in the fight against online scammers.

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) plan to hunt for scammers with an internet sweep - entering 'certain' words into 'certain' search engines and hoping for the best.

But this approach is outdated and ignores the global reach of fraudsters. Websites hosted in China offering fake Viagra pills to people in the UK, for instance, won't be scared off by this approach.

Nor will email scammers be stopped easily. If fraud is being committed and only a small amount of money is changing hands, it is unlikely to be traced.

Even the National Hi-Tech Crime Unit, which traces huge amounts of laundered money around the world, said at last year's e-Crime Forum that tracking small payments is difficult.

And if it's a small amount of money then it's a low priority as far as law enforcement is concerned. Try reporting your £10 loss to your local force and see what sort of response you get.

Having said that, the Scam Awareness Month scheme is a start. The DTI and the OFT have realised they need to cooperate with law enforcement and must set their sights way beyond the boundaries of the UK if they are to succeed.

The best way to outwit a scammer is to know what they know. By trying to raise awareness in the public and at least try to play sheriff in the wild, wild web, the government is helping to do just that.

But, as usual, it could do better.