Californians warned about newspaper scam

The Attorney General is warning all Californians after deceptive documents claiming to be bills, invoices or renewal notices for newspaper subscriptions have recently been showing up in resident’s mailboxes.

The mailings may appear to be legitimate renewal notices from a local newspaper, but they are most likely a scam and should be ignored and reported, according to Attorney General Kamala D. Harris.

Seniors should be especially wary, as they are frequently targeted by similar scams.

Here’s what to look for:

The words “Notice of Renewal,” or “New Order”
A company name that has words such as “Publishers,” “Billing,” “Services,” “Payment,” or “Circulation” in its name
An official-looking “Control Number”
Statements encouraging consumers to lock in their “low rates”
Small print on the back of the invoices stating that they come from someone other than the publisher
A self-addressed, postage unpaid envelope bearing a Post Office box or other mailing address that is located in a different state than the publisher
The notices offer renewals and new subscriptions at highly inflated prices -in some cases nearly twice the actual renewal cost
Subscribers have reported receiving these deceptive notices outside their regular billing periods, and sometimes after they have already renewed their subscriptions

Here’s what you should do:

If you receive a suspicious subscription notice, do not pay it. Consider canceling the order if you believe you may have already paid a suspicious renewal notice.
If you have a question about whether your subscription is expiring or needs to be renewed you should contact your newspaper publisher directly. Contact information is generally available in your newspaper, and on the newspaper’s official web site.
Consumers who receive a deceptive renewal notice should file a complaint with their newspaper. They can also file a complaint with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and with the Federal Trade Commission.
California consumers can also file a complaint with the California Attorney General’s Office.