New Mexico Attorney General Warns Against Fraud Increase

New Mexico Attorney General Gary King is warning that “Swindlers and scam artists see hard economic times as an opportunity to step up their activities.”

King kicked off a campaign on the “Nuts and Bolts: Tools for Today’s Economy” on March 6 in Albuquerque. The event was one of many similar events around the country held in observance of 2009’s National Consumer Protection Week.

The state Attorney General’s Office joined the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, FBI, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Marshal’s Office, ATF, N.M. Securities, Bernalillo County Sheriffs Office, Better Business Bureau and the state Construction Industries Division for the informational event for consumers.

To help warn consumers to protect themselves from fraud, the agencies distributed handouts and brochures warning against identity theft and fraudulent schemes, as well as providing information about protecting their financial assets from those types of crimes. The event also covered ways to report suspected financial fraud.

The AG’s Consumer Protection Division reported it has seen recent upticks in frauds linked to the economy such as the Economic Stimulus Payment Scam, where consumers are receiving e-mails purporting to be from the I.R.S. that try to trick people into sending personal identity and financial information.

Source: AG