U.S. Postal Service

Subscription Scheme Targets Newspaper Readers

Spam emails aren’t the only way people are trying to hustle you out of cash. The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that newspaper subscribers are being targeted with "fraudulent renewal and new order notices for their subscriptions."

The Inquirer and Daily News have run page-length ads to warn readers of the fraud in the form of junk-mail through the U.S. Postal Service. The ad states subscribers across the country have received notices from companies identified as Readers Payment Service, Associated Publishers Network, Magazine Billing Network, and Publishers Billing Exchange.

An operator for publisherpayment.com told Inquirer reporter Joseph N. DiStefano that they collect subscription applications and fees, sell them to independent third parties who then set up a paper subscription with the reader’s credit card. However, the papers say the process is neither authorized by nor affiliated with them.

The LA Times reported its readers were also being targeted and charged in some cases up to 40% more than the newspaper's subscription rate.

The fraud has been reported to the office of the Pennsylvania Attorney General as well as other law enforcement. According to the Attorney General's office, an official review of the complaint has not yet begun. However, those who believe they have been defrauded can call the Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-800-441-2555.

The Inquirer and Daily News don't use a subscription service. Their billing inquiries come from Philadelphia Media Network (Newspapers) LLC, P.O. Box 13942, Philadelphia, PA 19101-3942.

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