Iowa Consumer Protection News

Nixon Files 27 More Legal Actions From Senior Sting

Attorney General Jay Nixon today announced a new round of legal actions against 27 companies believed to have sent deceptive direct mail pieces into Missouri. The 27 cease and desist orders are a result of Senior Sting, a project Nixon launched last year to stop fraud by mail with the help of hundreds of senior volunteers.

In Senior Sting 2006, more than 300 Missouri seniors volunteered to keep all their junk mail received during one month, then send it to the Attorney General's Office. In all, more than 8,000 pieces of mail were collected during the program. Nixon says investigations continue into more than 20 other companies that sent suspicious-looking mail collected during Senior Sting.

“Clearly these companies have Missouri seniors in their sights,” Nixon said. “In Senior Sting, our volunteers turned the tables on the scam artists, resulting in the nearly 300 legal actions my office has taken so far to stop fraudulent mailings.”

Nixon says the companies receiving the cease and desist orders were involved in fraudulent sweepstakes and foreign lotteries. The orders require the companies to immediately cease violations of Missouri consumer protection laws, which includes making sure future solicitations in Missouri are not fraudulent or deceptive. Violations of the order may result in felony criminal charges. The list of companies receiving the cease and desist orders is at the end of this news release. Read  more at ago.mo.gov.

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