FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky Attorney General Jack Conway yesterday warned consumers who have purchased classified ads in newspapers that they could be targeted by scam artists and should not give out personal information over the phone.

“We’ve received complaints from a couple of classified advertisers that someone claiming to be from the newspaper is contacting them asking for credit-card information and Social Security numbers,” General Conway said.

Several newspapers across the commonwealth are issuing warnings in their papers, asking advertisers not to respond to these calls and not to give out personal information over the telephone.

“There are tons of classified scams, including pets, employment and glassware,” said Williamson Daily News Classifieds Manager Kim Chapman. “We really try to watch what we run in our newspaper to avoid scam artist, usually if it seems too good to be true it is.”

“People need to also be aware that customers usually call, e-mail or fax classifieds to us, and we never contact people over the telephone unless pricing is requested or we have a question regarding running dates or renewal,” Chapman said. “We have even had to take precautions by asking customers to prepay instead of billing.”

The Consumer Protection Division of the Office of the Attorney General is investigating all reports of suspicious contacts.

Anyone who has received these calls are urged to contact their local law enforcement agency or the Office of the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-888-432-9257.