Attorney General Darrell McGraw is warning businesses about bogus letters falsely claiming his office is investigating them.

The letters appear on forged letterhead with a state seal and the address of McGraw's Consumer Protection Division or Workers' Compensation Division. One form of the letter claims to be from McGraw.

The forgeries contain numerous misspellings and typos and have been mailed from throughout the state. Some have appeared on bulletin boards in local post offices.

McGraw says the letters are causing serious harm, prompting some business owners to hire attorneys. He suspects follow-up correspondence will attempt to extort money by offering settlements.

Affected business owners are urged to call 1-800-368-8808 or e-mail consumer@wvago.gov.