About PCPN

The IAP Executive Committee approved a new IAP network at the 22nd IAP Annual Conference and General Meeting in Beijing, September 2017, which is focused on consumer protection prosecution across the globe. The network, which is titled “Prosecutor’s Consumer Protection Network” (PCPN), will work to provide a much-needed forum for practitioners to communicate, exchange ideas and experiences, stay informed and collectively innovate and problem solve to advance approaches and techniques, and undermine fraudulent enterprises that harm consumers.  The leadership group currently consists of IAP members from Argentina, Brazil, Mauritius, and the United States.   

Jurisdiction over consumer fraud and deceptive trade practice schemes differs in each country and is often handled by multiple factions of government. Some nations generally prosecute these types of cases civilly, others criminally, and many nations do so through a mixture of both, depending on the type and severity of the scheme being prosecuted. With jurisdiction over these schemes varying so greatly between the nations, developing a network of prosecutors is a step toward protecting consumers worldwide. The PCPN has goals to provide the following as the network develops:

  • Development of a webpage containing information about current trends in schemes, investigations, court cases, legislation, media coverage, and other relevant issues;
  • A discussion board for exchanging questions, ideas and precedents;
  • Creation and maintenance of a database/contact list of:
    • Enforcers to facilitate international inter-agency cooperation and long-lasting professional partnerships,
    • Experts for use in investigations and cases, and
    • Private industry representatives with resources available to assist in protecting the public; and
  • Periodic specialized conferences, webinars, and workshops addressing transnational investigations and cooperation, mutual legal assistance, emerging trends, and other relevant issues.

If you work on consumer protection prosecutions and are interested in joining the PCPN, or know someone else who would be interested, please contact pcpn@iap-association.org.