Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt is asking other states to cooperate in a new federal database that will track scam artists who target military families and try to elude authorities.

“Crooks and scam artists who prey on military families require a particular focus from law enforcement authorities,” Schmidt said. “Kansas law gives our office special authority to go after those who prey on military families, and we are working toward better cooperation with other states and with federal authorities so there is no place to hide.”

He and Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway, who are co-chairmen of a consumer protection committee for the National Association of Attorneys General, have sent a letter to other states urging them to cooperate with federal authorities on providing information about convictions and judgments.

Schmidt’s office announced the nationwide database, called the Repeat Offenders Against Military Database, or ROAM Database, is available to law enforcement and will include information on civil and criminal enforcement actions against companies and individuals who have victimized military families. According to the letter, scam artists often move from state to state.

“The initial issue this presents is simply identifying who the repeat offenders are,” Schmidt and Conway wrote in their letter, “especially when they may operate under different corporate names.”