Produced by the Washington state Attorney General and the University of Washington's Center for Law, Commerce and Technology, the study to be released today focuses on fraud in online auctions.
Online auctions are prime places for fraud, the report says.
Auction problems accounted for 87 percent of online complaints reported to the National Consumers League in 1999. A December 2000 survey revealed that 4 in 10 buyers have had a problem with online auctions. Such auctions involve bidders and sellers who usually don't know one another. It is necessary to register with an auction site to list or bid on items. But buyers and sellers don't always provide correct information when registering.