SEATTLE – Attorney General Rob McKenna today warned consumers to watch out for callers who claim you have won a voucher for free gasoline then ask for a checking account number.

“Telemarketing cons are promising free gasoline, a particularly attractive incentive given current prices at the pump,” McKenna said. “But consumers should not be tempted by these offers, which are clearly a ploy to obtain bank account information that could be used to steal money or commit identity theft.”

TACOMA – Attorney General Rob McKenna announced today that his office has filed first-degree theft charges against a mortgage loan officer accused of stealing a check intended to pay for brokerage fees.

The Attorney General’s Criminal Division Financial Crimes Unit charged Robert L. Flath, 41, of Gig Harbor, with one-count of first-degree theft. Flath entered a plea of not guilty during his arraignment today in Pierce County Superior Court.

$84,000 settlement first in state’s Spyware Cleaner case

SEATTLE – Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna announced today that an Oregon man is the first defendant penalized under Washington’s new computer spyware act. Zhijian Chen, of Portland, Ore., will pay nearly $84,000 in fines and consumer restitution for marketing bogus anti-spyware software through deceptive means.

OLYMPIA – Attorney General Rob McKenna announced new recommendations for reducing identity theft in Washington during a press conference today at the State Capitol.

McKenna unveiled a report from the state’s first Identity Theft Summit, then testified on behalf of legislation that would amend Washington’s credit report security freeze law to protect more consumers.

OLYMPIA - Attorney General Rob McKenna today announced the return of former Senior Counsel Jon Ferguson as the chief of the new complex litigation division in the Attorney General’s Office.

As chief, Ferguson will be responsible for managing the emerging complex litigation division that will likely expand over the next year.

US Attorney and State AG Call on Businesses to Use Best Practices to Protect Data

SEATTLE – Nearly 54,000 Washington residential and business customers who purchase local phone services from Embarq (formerly Sprint-United) will see a credit on their July bill. Customers will also receive protections against future rate hikes as part of an agreement negotiated between Washington’s Public Counsel Section of the Attorney General’s Office, staff of the state Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) and Embarq.

SEATTLE – Older adults who have spent a lifetime earning their savings are prime targets for abusers and crooks who deliberately prey on their generosity, friendliness or mental confusion, Attorney General Rob McKenna said.

OLYMPIA… Attorney General Rob McKenna and Tony Rugel, head of the new Eastern Washington Medicaid Fraud Unit, today announced two new investigators will join the team on July 1.

“We know that between 30 and 40 percent of our Medicaid fraud cases are filed in Eastern Washington,” McKenna said. “It’s time to build on that success by increasing the number of investigators and making those investigators easily accessible to people in Eastern Washington.”

States Seek Relief for Consumers Harmed by Alleged Price-Fixing Conspiracy