Two fraudulent companies are allegedly using Helena addresses to scam people, according to police.

"Be cautious. Be careful. There are these scams that are supposedly operating in the area," Helena Police Department Det. Russ Whitcomb said.

Century Marketing, which offers cheap magazine subscriptions, asks people to send their credit card numbers to a P.O. Box on N. Montana Avenue, Whitcomb said. The numbers are then used for fraudulent charges after the subscriptions are sent to a Virginia Beach, Va. address, he said.

Morgan Financial Institute lists an address on the third floor of a N. Last Chance Gulch building, where another business resides, he said.

Whitcomb said Morgan Financial offers fake personal and business loans over the telephone and through the Web site www.mrgnfi.com. When a user of the Web site clicks on contacts, the site asks for the person's name and phone number. The company tells its victims to send in $500 to get a loan of $5,000, which never comes to fruition, he said.

While police have not received any complaints for Helena residents, Whitcomb said he has received about six calls about each scam from all over the country, including California, Texas and New York.

Reporter Angela Brandt: 447-4078 or angela.brandt@helenair.com