Indiana attorney general warns about tobacco settlement scam

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana’s attorney general is warning about an online scam that aims to trick people into believing they can receive payments through the state’s settlement with the tobacco industry.

Attorney General Curtis Hill says the deceptive promotion invites Hoosiers to sign up for such payments through Money Map Press.

Consumers are told they might be eligible to receive cash under terms of the state’s Tobacco Master Settlement and are asked to provide their billing and payment information to subscribe to a monthly report on those funds.

People who agree to do so are billed $5 for the first month and another $99 for a yearly subscription. But Hills says they only receive information about tobacco revenue bonds.

He says lawmakers have directed all of Indiana’s tobacco settlement money to state agencies.