The Ogden Police Department has received several phone calls from residents concerned about door-to-door sales of magazine subscriptions.

Some young peddlers have allegedly been misrepresenting themselves as RIT or U of R students selling magazine subscriptions to fund a soccer trip to Europe. According to Ogden Police Investigator Paul Kaseman, the scam has been perpetrated in several communities in Monroe and Ontario counties.

Kaseman said the department received a consumer alert on July 27 about the Worldwide Publication or Circulation Company which is based in St. Claire's Shores, Michigan. Similar incidents involving the same company have allegedly taken place at Princeton University, New Jersey.

Anyone selling door-to-door in Ogden or the Village of Spencerport should have a peddling permit, Kaseman said. The recent magazine peddlers did not. No arrests have been made in Ogden, although patrols are watching closely for the activity.

Kaseman recommends that residents ask to see a copy of a soliciting permit before doing business with a door-to-door salesperson. During the permit process, the police department runs a background check which helps, but does not completely eliminate, scams. If a resident is suspicious of a salesperson, they should call 911, Kaseman said.

Some Ogden residents have had to order stop payments on the checks they made out to the bogus subscription company. One Ogden resident pointed out that placing the stop payment cost her $29, compared to the $44 check she made to the company.

Residents can also call the New York State Consumer Protection Agency at 1-800-697-1220 if they feel they have been deceived by a salesperson.