Area Officials Warn of Door-to-Door Magazine Sales Scams

Recent complaints have centered on two Georgia companies, United Family Circulation and Ultimate Power Sales Inc., a subsidiary. Last year, Montgomery County police said residents in Chevy Chase had been asked to buy books from salespeople who falsely claimed to be collecting for charity on behalf of a University of Maryland athletic team. Buyers said they were asked to make checks out to Ultimate Power Sales.

Problems with Ultimate Power Sales also have cropped up in Virginia and other states. The Virginia Office of Consumer Affairs has issued a warning about door-to-door solicitors representing Ultimate Power Sales.

Last year in California, two United Family Circulation salespeople received 150-day jail terms for defrauding a nearly blind 85-year-old woman who bought 210 years' worth of magazine subscriptions from them. The solicitors told her they needed the money for college, police said.

Messages left at United Family Circulation's offices in Buford, Ga., were not returned as of Tuesday.

Officials in most area school jurisdictions say they discourage students from going door-to-door to sell items for team fundraisers, but some booster clubs allow the practice. If residents want to contribute to certain schools or their teams, they can simply send a check to the school with instructions on where it should go, school officials say.

All charitable organizations are required to be registered with the Virginia Office of Consumer Affairs. Consumers who have questions about an organization or how much of their contribution will actually be used for charitable purposes can call 804-786-1343.

If salespeople claim they are representing a school or a team, residents should question them by, for example, asking the principal's name or how the team did the previous year, said Paul Jansen, director of student activities for Fairfax County schools.

"If the kid starts to waffle, you know real quick" he could be a fraud, Jansen said.

Staff writer Arianne Aryanpur contributed to this report.