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[July 10, 2009]

BRIEF: Attorney general warns of new scams

Jul 10, 2009 (The Lexington Herald-Leader - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The state attorney general is warning Kentuckians of two possible scams.

The first involves so-called "secret shopper" programs in which scam artists target jobseekers through print advertisements, online postings and direct mail and tell them "they have been chosen to serve as customer service representatives and perform secret shopper duties." The perpetrators then mail a packet with an instruction sheet and a check for a large amount of money, telling the victim to deposit the check and wire the funds to a location generally out of the state or country. The victims are asked to rate their experience at the wiring service office and send back the form, keeping a small amount of money from the initial check. That check, though, is fraudulent, and the victims will be charged the full amount by their banks.

The second scam involves perpetrators gaining access to a victim's online banking system using software that's attached to an e-mail. The scammers transfer money from the victims' accounts into accounts of consumers who believe they are secret shoppers.

If you feel you've been a victim of a scam, the state's consumer protection hotline is 1-888-432-9257.

To see more of the Lexington Herald-Leader, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.kentucky.com. Copyright (c) 2009, The Lexington Herald-Leader, Ky.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.

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