The US government has launched an international database to protect consumers from online fraud, allowing surfers from 13 countries to file e-commerce complaints at one place.

The site - Econsumer
- is run by the federal trade commission (FTC) and will take in confidential fraud information gathered by law enforcement officials across the globe. An FTC spokeswoman said that at the moment there is no systematic way to investigate cross-border internet scams.

Econsumer offers information about scams on the net and a place for consumers to file specific complaints. The FTC hopes the database will help participating countries crack down of fraudsters who often operate across international boundaries.

The initiative is an extension of the FTC's Consumer Sentinel database, which covers all types of fraud, but only in English. The Econsumer site operates in English, French, German and Spanish.

A notice on the site encourages users to share their experiences of online fraud: "Because the internet marketplace is a borderless one, sharing your complaint with government agencies in different countries will help keep the internet safe. It will also help prevent others from experiencing the problem you did."

The UK has joined Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, South Korea, Sweden and Switzerland in signing up to the scheme.

Useful links
Econsumer
FTC
Consumer Sentinel
Office of fair trading