Article: Regulators battle credit fraud in Orange County.(The Orange County Register)

SANTA ANA, Calif. _ Direct-mail operators based in south Orange County are financing a lavish lifestyle with allegedly fraudulent sales promotions aimed at people struggling to establish credit.

The principals in these operations drive Ferraris, Mercedes and Bentleys and live in ocean and hilltop homes in Newport and Laguna.

Their victims are typically consumers desperate to establish credit.

"These consumers are in dire financial straits. They want credit, they need credit. They send in money because they believe they will be getting a major credit card," said Barbara Y.K. Chun, an attorney for the Federal Trade Commission.

That's not ...

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