FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - October 4, 2006
Contact Matt Gewolb
516-521-2864 or matt@gailbuckner.com

Gail Buckner announces plan to combat fraud
As Secretary of State, Buckner will serve as Georgia's top consumer watchdog

AUGUSTA - Gail Buckner, Democratic nominee for Georgia Secretary of State, announced Thursday her plan to attack identity theft and other types of consumer fraud that have increasingly found victims in Georgia over the past several years.

"Fraud appears in many forms, including identity theft, racketeering, investment and securities fraud, not to mention mortgage and even home repair fraud," Buckner said during a press conference. "Unfortunately, Georgia is a national leader for having citizens victimized by these crimes. As the state's top consumer watchdog, our Secretary of State's Office will make Georgia a leader in fighting fraud in every corner of the state."

Buckner said she will be relentless in preventive efforts and will work diligently with the governor and attorney general to ensure that Georgians have maximum protection. "I plan to launch aggressive education efforts to better inform citizens on the methods and perils of fraud," Buckner said. "I will also organize diverse committees of industry specialists, state officials, investigators, consumer advocates and even reformed scam artists to stamp out fraud before it strikes."

As a state representative, Buckner was a stalwart for consumer rights, and introduced two measures in the last session that would create the Identity Theft Prevention Board as well as the Investment and Securities Fraud Prevention Board. To complement these initiatives as Secretary of State, she will form a Home Improvement and Mortgage Fraud Prevention Board, giving Georgians a triple crown of fraud prevention.

Each committee would bring together a highly skilled team of professionals to combat and prevent all the various types of fraud. For instance, the Identity Theft Prevention Board would be a nine member panel with representatives from advocacy groups, information technology, law enforcement, banking, the General Assembly, and Office of Consumer Affairs.

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