Merchants Warned of Bogus Ad Billing

Authorities are warning Ventura County business owners to beware of a company that may be sending out bogus bills for ads placed in a publication called the State Peace Officers Journal.

Two businesses in the county have received invoices for $50 and $175 worth of advertising placed in the publication during the past year. Neither of the businesses had ordered the advertising, nor had they been contacted before receiving the bills, police said.

Deputy Dist. Atty. Gregory W. Brose said the “State Peace Officers Journal” has no connection to a law enforcement group. It has a mailing address in Washington, D.C., and the invoices sent to the two Ventura County businesses said the journal is published in Houston, Tex.

To knowingly bill someone for merchandise not ordered would be considered theft by false pretenses. To send a solicitation that is not clearly labeled as such to a business is a misdemeanor, he said.

Brose said the district attorney’s office plans to send a letter to the State Peace Officers Journal alerting the organization that it is under scrutiny.

In the past, Brose said, similar scams have succeeded by sending bills to someone in an accounting department who is unaware that the service or merchandise was not ordered.

Anyone who has been contacted by the group should contact Oxnard police or the Ventura County district attorney’s office.