Attorney General Greg Zoeller (photo courtesy FTC.gov)

Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller praised the efforts of the Federal Trade Commission and their support of states to investigate and prosecute deceptive business opportunities.

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The FTC held a press conference and announced the results of their latest efforts in Operation Lost Opportunity. The FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection Director David Vladeck says the effort is geared toward scam artists who prey on people looking for work or opportunities to make money by offering bogus business investment opportunities. Zoeller says his office has received nearly 130 complaints over the last three years aboutthese types of scams.

The state attorney general has pursued 15 litigation matters against such businesses with three cases filed as recently as this week. Zoeller says going after these types of scam artists is important considering the recent economic decline and struggles in the job market for a number of people. Zoeller says publicly announcing the state and federal efforts to go after these scam artists gives the crooks fair warning while warning the public of the dangers of these typesof scams.

Zoeller, who is a member of the Consumer Protection Working Group, says support from the FTC helps track the scam artists from state to state.