Other LanguagesLAKEWOOD – Attorney General Rob McKenna warned Washington residents that con artists are becoming increasingly skilled at customizing their pitches. Residents of Lakewood, Washington, have been targeted twice in recent weeks for identity theft and financial fraud scams. The cases appear to be unrelated, but show how far criminals will go in order to convince someone to send money or provide personal information.
OLYMPIA - New laws requested by Attorney General Rob McKenna dealing with eminent domain notice, increase domestic violence penalties, establish an anti-gang workgroup, protect seniors and establish a Sunshine Committee for public records will go into effect on Sunday.
SEATTLE – The owners of several Bellevue businesses that sent official-looking postcards to homeowners urging them to have their hot-water tanks or electrical panels inspected agreed to issue refunds to consumers as part of a settlement, Attorney General Rob McKenna announced today.
OLYMPIA – King County Superior Court today ruled on summary judgment in favor of the state of Washington in Futurewise and SEIU 775 v. Sam Reed.
OLYMPIA – Attorney General Rob McKenna and Scott Jarvis, Director of the Department of Financial Institutions (DFI), announced today that more than 12,000 Washington residents are eligible for an estimated $9.1 million in restitution from Ameriquest Mortgage Company and its related companies. The money comes from last year’s $325 million national settlement, in which states alleged widespread fraud by Ameriquest as part of a high-pressure scheme to sell mortgages that trapped consumers into debt and put them at risk of losing their homes.
TACOMA – Attorney General Rob McKenna today warned businesses to beware of traveling salesmen who fraudulently claim to be federal government representatives and use coercive tactics to sell labor law posters. Cons were recently reported in the Tacoma area.
OLYMPIA – Thousands of Washington apartment homes and hotels may be especially vulnerable to fire. The Washington State Fire Marshal’s Office says up to 500,000 fire sprinkler heads in Washington may be defective – and officials don’t know where they are located.
OLYMPIA – Attorney General Rob McKenna today warned Washington homeowners and businesses to beware of cons claiming to repair your driveway. Scammers have been reported in communities across Washington, most recently in the Vancouver and Tacoma areas.
OLYMPIA – Attorney General Rob McKenna will headline a 15-city statewide tour on identity theft this summer and fall to educate business owners and consumers on how to keep their personal data safe. Guard it! Washington is a partnership of the Attorney General’s Office, Federal Trade Commission and AARP.
ATLANTA… This week at the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) summer meeting in Atlanta, Attorney General Rob McKenna received updates on the multi-state effort to rid social networking sites like MySpace.com of sexual predators, led negotiations over payments due to the states under the national tobacco master settlement and accepted a NAAG “Best Brief” award for the office’s reply brief in the Washington v. WEA case.