AGO, FBI issue scam alert for Mississippians

JACKSON — Attorney General Jim Hood and special agent in charge Frederick T. Brink of the FBI’s Jackson Division are joining together and issuing a consumer alert regarding the numerous, ever-evolving scams that are victimizing citizens of Mississippi.

Brink said, “The FBI receives calls daily from individuals who have either been approached by or have fallen victim to a perpetrator of one of these scams. Our agents hear stories of people who have lost thousands and thousands of dollars, often entire college or retirement savings.”

The Consumer Protection Division of the Attorney General’s Office takes several calls each week on just the lottery scam.

“The lottery scam isn’t a new scam, but these con-artists are getting more and more creative with how they pitch the scam,” said Hood.

The Internet Crime Complaint Center, which reports only complaints about Internet based scams, released its 2008 Annual Report in March of this year. According to the report, 275,284 complaints were received in 2008, reflecting a loss of $265 million.