Delaney
CONCORD, N.H. (Legal Newsline) - New Hampshire Attorney General Michael A. Delaney and Department of Revenue Commissioner Kevin Clougherty issued a consumer alert to state residents on Thursday about a fraudulent website attempting to scam residents.
The website is allegedly attempting to scam New Hampshire residents and those doing business in the state into purchasing New Hampshire retail sales tax certificates, thus falsely and deceptively pretending to be an official website of the New Hampshire Department of Revenue. The state of New Hampshire does not collect retail sales tax.
The website is not associated with the Department of Revenue and the individuals behind this site are allegedly conducting a scam operation and are attempting acts of theft by falsely asserting that state law requires these certificates to do business in the state.
Delaney's Consumer Protection Bureau warns consumers to exercise extreme caution when taking part in any sort of business on the Internet.
Scam artists are skilled at creating false images and illusions that try to trick people into believing they are interacting with legitimate businesses or government agencies, Delaney says. Consumers should be very careful before making any payments or providing confidential and sensitive information on any online payment form or application, Delaney says.
This sensitive information should not be given out without particular guarantees that the company is legitimate and includes address, social security number, date of birth and banking/credit card information, Delaney says.