The UK, US and Canada are to work even closer together in a bid to tackle international scams - many of which are peddled via the Net.

New intelligence-sharing arrangements with the Canadian Competition Bureau, the US Federal Trade Commission and the UK's Office of Fair Trading (OFT) should make it easier for law enforcers to nab villains.

The new measures means that officials should be able to investigate more quickly rip-offs such as the Canadian Lottery scam - in which people are told they've hit the jackpot but need to hand over taxes or a handling fee to claim their winnings.

Said the OFT's Christine Wade: "UK consumers are being increasingly targeted by fraudulent and deceptive practices originating overseas, so close cooperation with our international enforcement partners is a top priority for us.

"Formalising the existing arrangements to exchange complaint and investigation data represents a major step forward in our efforts to protect UK consumers." ®

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