Cordray: Scams grew as economy declined

By DAVID SKOLNICK

skolnick@vindy.com

BOARDMAN

As the economy declined, the number of complaints from people who fell victim to financial scams skyrocketed, Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray said.

Cordray visited the Boardman branch of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County on Monday to kick off National Consumer Protection Week and to raise awareness of scams.

In 2009, Cordray’s office received more than 30,000 complaints from people victimized by various scams, he said. That’s a 20-percent increase from the previous year.

The numbers in the Mahoning Valley aren’t as bad as the statewide figures.

There was a modest decrease in Columbiana County and a small increase in Trumbull County. Though the numbers were up in Mahoning County, it saw a 13.7 percent increase, lower than the state average, according to statistics provided by the attorney general’s office.

“Much of [the statewide increase] is the fallout of the failings of the financial industry,” Cordray said. “However, consumers are awakening to the harsh reality that they have been easy targets for financial predators.”

The most common scams deal with debt collection, home improvement work and phony sweepstakes, Cordray said.

Cordray was joined Monday by officials with the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Department, the office of U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, and the Better Business Bureau of Columbiana, Mahoning and Trumbull counties.

Senior citizens make up a large number of fraud victims, said Kay Lavelle, the sheriff department’s senior service unit coordinator.

“Seniors are easily swayed,” she said.

That’s because some are lonely and want to talk to someone, she said. Also, seniors are typically more trusting of people and generally more polite, Lavelle said.

To report a scam and fill out a complaint, contact the attorney general’s office by telephone at (800) 282-0515 or online at speakoutohio.gov.