Attorney General Mike DeWine kicks off National Consumer Protection Week in Ohio with a warning about scammers posing as employees of his office to trick consumers into providing personal information and payment for bogus debts. From Jan. 1 to Feb. 20, 2012, the Attorney General's Office received about a dozen reports of scammers pretending to be from the Attorney General's Office and/or the Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI). Joining the Attorney General is Sandy Lynskey, Chief of the Consumer Protection Division of the Attorney General's office and Timothy Haning of Orient, Ohio, who was a victim of ID theft.

Attorney General Mike DeWine also announces the winners of this year's 60-second video on consumer scams:
First Place: Kayla Hanneman and Maclane Nugent, seniors from Pymatuning Valley high School in Ashtabula County. They will split a $2,500 scholarship for their video, "I Knew You Were Lion."
Second Place: McGinnis and Jesse Braun, seniors from Normandy High School in Cuyahoga County. They will split a $1,500 scholarship for their video, "Please be Careful."
Third Place: Junior David Michael and senior Chance Davis, from Dublin Coffman High School in Franklin County. They will split a scholarship of $1,000 for their video, "Stopping Scholarship Scams."