Fraud warning

Fraud warning

youngstown

Representatives from the Ohio Department of Insurance will visit the Valley on Wednesday to warn residents about the dangers of “unscrupulous contractors” in response to reports from the Youngstown Better Business Bureau. The reports claim that “fly-by-night contractors” are trying to convince people that their homes incurred damage from a June 2009 storm. Officials from the department’s Fraud and Enforcement Division and the National Insurance Crime Bureau and Ohio insurance carriers will visit homeowners in Youngstown, Boardman, Hubbard and Austintown to educate them on various fraud schemes.

Representatives will wear identification.

Airline-fees report

WASHINGTON

Finding the best deal on a flight has become a lot more difficult, thanks to hefty baggage and service fees that consumers often don’t know about until they show up at the airline counter, congressional investigators say.

Airlines, travel agents and other ticket-distribution channels should be required to disclose fees for checked baggage, changed reservations and other services in a clear and consistent manner, the Government Accountability Office said in a report released Wednesday.

Vindicator staff and wire reports