Yet another scam!

It may be a result of the economy, but I've been receiving more warnings this last month than I've received in a year. Thought I should pass this along, though.

Door-to-door magazine scam active again, state warns


Attorney General Rob McKenna is warning state residents to beware of some door-to-door magazine sales people claiming to work for a charity.


The state Attorney General’s Office says Fresh Start Opportunities, subject of a warning last March, appears to be active again in Washington.


Fresh Start’s youthful magazine sellers say they’re working on earning money for college or to get a better job or to win points for a free trip, but their magazine sales work appears to be a scam, the Attorney General’s Office said.


McKenna’s office has received complaints from residents contacted door-to-door by Fresh Start sales workers. Those magazine customers say they paid from $50 to $784 for subscriptions to magazines that never were delivered.


Complaints to the organization’s mailing address elicited no response, and calls to Fresh Start’s toll-free number said it was “temporarily unavailable.”


A 19-year-old man working for Fresh Start Opportunities was arrested last fall in connection with an Edmonds robbery, the bulletin said.


Before donating to a charity, people are advised to check the Secretary of State’s Web site, http://secstate.wa.gov/charities.


Visitors can see if the group is properly registered as a charity, as required by law. The site also shows what percentage of total revenue the group says goes to the charitable purpose, called program services, and what percentage goes for overhead.

John McKenna, Tacoma News Tribune