AUGUSTA – Governor John E. Baldacci today warned Mainers to be wary of telephone calls or solicitations claiming to be related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

The Governor also announced today that the State has created a toll-free telephone number that allows people to report suspected cases of fraud, waste or abuse.

The Governor’s Office received a telephone call today from a constituent who said she had been contacted the night before. The caller sought personal information from the woman, claiming they needed the information to deposit a large sum of Recovery Act funds into her personal account.

The Governor’s Office is not conducting such outreach and would not request personal information or conduct direct financial transactions.

“It’s disgusting that during such a difficult economic time, there are people who would try to take advantage of their neighbors,” Governor Baldacci said. “The Recovery Act will create jobs and help our economy to grow. It’s unfortunate that some unscrupulous people would try to use it as a cover for crime.”

“Today, we have launched a new tool to help people fight waste, fraud and abuse,” Governor Baldacci said. “Anyone who suspects that Recovery Act money is being misused can call the number and make a report. We will not tolerate misuse of Recovery Act funding or criminal activity.”

The fraud hot line number is: 866-224-3033. The number is also published on the State’s Recovery Web site: www.maine.gov/recovery.

Similar incidents of attempted fraud have been reported around the country. The Small Business Administration put out a warning in February that someone had sent letters to businesses seeking bank account information purportedly for federal tax rebates related to the Recovery Act. No such letters were sent by the SBA.

“In this day in age, we all have to be careful,” Governor Baldacci said. “Everyone should be very cautious about sharing personal and financial information.”