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Can the State can put scammers out of business?

Andre Bauer, writing at Greenville Online, thinks that the State can put scammers out of business or at least relocate them.

Hmm, lets listen to his idea:

"Public agencies have been working hard on scams, but the coordination of their efforts can be improved.

"For example, a grandmother in one of our rural towns contacted her police department which taped a series of scam calls and traced them to an apartment in one of our larger cities.

Law enforcement was frustrated because no overt crime had been finalized, although the intent was obvious.

Sharing information across jurisdictions about scam artists could have led to a knock on that apartment door by a municipal license inspector wondering why no business license had been purchased.

The next visitor might be zoning enforcement asking why a business was operating out of a residential complex.

Our Department of Revenue might drop off some tax forms. In the face of united and focused official attention, that scammer might have been persuaded to pack up and leave our state."

Hmm, not bad. But then, of course, we see where Andre is really going - more regulatory oversight with licensing.

"A pertinent question is when we identify scammers why don't we make them buy the licenses, insurance and bonds required of our legitimate business?

Why should the con artists with the black hats skate by when our neighbors who treat their customers ethically willingly follow the law in all aspects?

To carry this white hat/black hat analogy one step further, why not create a system so that our citizens can tell which businesses to welcome and which activities to shun?"

Uh, Andre that would be because scams do not come with a trusty worth sign that says "I am a scam".

But I guess those extra fees would be nice, eh?

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Full post as published by Misleading Advertising Law on July 09, 2008 (boomark / email).