Kiosk scam targets African-American churches

Consumer Affairs: District of Columbia Attorney General Peter Nickles filed suit against several individuals and companies accusing them of a nationwide scam to defraud African-American church congregations of hundreds of thousands of dollars. The suit alleges that the defendants approached numerous congregations offering "free" computer kiosks that they could place in church lobbies to provide community and church information. As part of the agreement to receive the equipment, congregation officials unwittingly signed documents that obligated the groups to long-term lease payments amounting to $50,000 or more. But Nickles' suit alleges the computer equipment was valued at no more than a few thousand dollars, and in some cases, did not function properly.

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