Information for Boston Globe and Worcester Telegram & Gazette subscribers

The following is a message to subscribers from The Boston Globe and the Worcester Telegram & Gazette:

It has come to our attention that consumers are receiving telephone calls from companies offering to help them prevent credit card fraud. These companies, including one calling itself the “National Verification Office,” are asking consumers to provide the credit card or bank card information the consumer used to pay his or her Boston Globe or Worcester Telegram & Gazette subscription.

This group is NOT AFFILIATED with the Boston Globe or the Worcester Telegram & Gazette.

• DO NOT RESPOND to these requests for private financial information from anyone on the telephone regardless of the company name given to you. These requests are not coming from a legitimate business or government office.
• Neither the Boston Globe nor the Worcester Telegram & Gazette are asking their customers to provide them with confidential credit card or bank account information.
• An investigator with a law enforcement office is not asking -- and would not ask -- consumers to provide credit card or bank account information by telephone.

Consumers should not give personal financial information to someone claiming to be from a legitimate business, financial institution, or government agency who contacts you by phone or e-mail. You should give private financial information to businesses or government agencies ONLY if you have initiated the telephone call or other transaction. To learn more about what you can do to protect yourself, visit this website or contact the following agencies:

The Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General
www.ago.state.ma.us
Consumer Protection
One Ashburton Place, Boston, MA 02108
617-727-2200
Consumer Hotline 617-727-8400

Federal Trade Commission for the Consumer
www.consumer.gov/idtheft/
1-877-438-4338