St. Louis, Mo. - The Better Business Bureau and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service have planned a series of events and media discussions throughout the region to support the 10th annual National Consumer Protection Week, March 2-8. NCPW highlights consumer education efforts in the fight against fraud in communities across the nation.

This year's theme is "Financial Literacy: A Sound Investment." Special emphasis will be placed on the most common scams and frauds in this region: identity theft, fake checks schemes, mortgage loan frauds, advance fee loans and credit reporting/credit insurance scams.  Financially savvy consumers are likely to make smarter decisions about managing their money, using credit wisely, and building a solid financial foundation.

The events include the following presentations for students: Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, Ill., East Central College, Union, Mo., McKendree College, Lebanon, Ill., Ranken Technical College, St. Louis, St. Louis Community College-Florissant Valley, Ferguson, Mo.,      Kaskaskia College, Centralia, Il., Lindenwood University, St. Charles, Mo.

Presentations at each event will include information on current financially-related schemes, tips for avoiding scams and how to access resources to help consumers. Free literature on how to avoid scams, how to be protected from identity theft and other materials will be available to attendees at each event.

 "More than 125 million personal records were reported compromised in the U.S. in 2007, a six-fold increase over the previous year. Businesses continue to report alarming security breaches that expose millions of Americans' identities and financial information to would-be thieves," said Michelle L. Corey, BBB president and CEO, who will speak at several of the events.

"On the surface, many of the most common scams, including fake check offers, have the appearances of being legitimate," said Tom Brady, postal inspector in charge. "However, it's critical that people dig deeper and fully understand the offer before sending any money to a stranger, no matter how friendly or tempting they may seem. The US Postal Inspection Service and the Better Business Bureau can help." Brady added. 

For more information, contact the Better Business Bureau at 314-645-3300 or http://www.stlouisbbb.org/ or the United States Postal Inspection Service at 877-876-2455  or http://postalinspectors.uspis.gov/.