Today, an estimated 200 million people regularly use the Internet worldwide - 80 million of them in the United States. A staggering 7.3 billion commercial emails are exchanged daily. The establishment of web sites for and about seniors suggests that older Americans are tapping the web's potential - and being exposed to its risks. Some of the services readily available on the Internet include items likely to be particularly interesting to retired citizens. For example, sites selling travel have proliferated, and state regulators are increasingly challenged by online sales of prescription drugs.
Caution is well advised on the information highway.
The Internet's explosive growth is reflected in the consumer complaints received by the Department of Justice. We recorded only one complaint about an Internet retailer in 1997. In 1999, we recorded 286 Internet related complaints. In 1999 Internet-related complaints reached number nine on the list of most frequently reported complaints. Just as nearly every business is developing an online presence, so has nearly every scam developed an online version.