Private entities can help a company monitor these situations. And investigators can often track traffic. In such smear, stock misconduct situations, senior executives must be notified quickly of fraudulent message board traffic so they can react promptly. Attempting to convene an emergency board of directors' meeting usually isn't a realistic option. So, a previously devised and board-approved Internet disaster response plan may be a worthwhile topic to add to the board's next meeting agenda.
Penny stocks are a favorite victim and tool of fraudulent message board stock-manipulation schemes.
In the experience of most white collar and complex litigation practitioners, applying federal prosecutorial resources primarily lets law enforcement, if successful, hold individual perpetrators accountable. The subtext to the story of a successful prosecution rarely involves returning significant sums of money to the individuals who were defrauded or harmed. To catch Internet stock fraud perpetrators, the government can use a variety of Web-adapted law enforcement tools, such as an electronic dragnet. In fact, law enforcement agencies were even able to trace phony message board uploads and messages touting a certain stock to the home computer of a perpetrator in one particular investigation. Another question involves how the government will respond to such crime.