Beef Magazine is part of the Informa Markets Division of Informa PLC

This site is operated by a business or businesses owned by Informa PLC and all copyright resides with them. Informa PLC's registered office is 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG. Registered in England and Wales. Number 8860726.

See All Animal Health »

See All Our Events »

Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen is warning Montanans of a scams that could be impacting many Montana ranchers. One investigation is still ongoing, but the Office of Consumer Protection estimates that a Canadian company has stolen up to $5 million from Montanans after receiving payments but never delivering the promised product – and other criminals may be conducting similar scams.

The company, New Way Ag, promised grain hay, barley straw and wheat straw at low prices to quickly make sales, collected payments and then never delivered any product to their victims. To aid in the investigation, Montanans who made payments to New Way Ag should contact the Montana Office of Consumer Protection at 406-444-4500.

"Montana ranchers are facing headwinds as it is without being scammed by crooks looking to make a quick buck. Please report any suspected scams to our office so we can hold these criminals accountable," Knudsen says. "If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Now more than ever we all must keep a watchful eye out for scammers looking to take advantage of Montanans."

Montanans can report any scams to the Montana Department of Justice's Office of Consumer Protection, or by calling (406) 444-4500 or toll free at (800) 481-6896.

Last year, the Office of Consumer Protection fielded 945 scam complaints and successfully saved Montanans from losing more than $1.3 million, including $869,600 that was recovered for Montanans who were victimized by scammers and $465,579 in prevented loss for consumers who called inquiring about whether they were being scammed.

Source: Montana Department of Justice, which is solely responsible for the information provided, and wholly owns the information. Informa Business Media and all its subsidiaries are not responsible for any of the content contained in this information asset.

More information about text formats