The Ohio attorney general shut down a Columbus OH employment agency on April 3. Separately, the Massachusetts attorney general cited a healthcare staffing firm for failing to pay wages.

In the Ohio case, a judge closed Global Personnel Inc. until an April 14 preliminary injunction hearing in a consumer fraud lawsuit against it, according to the Ohio Attorney General's office. Global used newspaper ads to lure job seekers but instead of job placements or interviews, they were persuaded to pay $389 or more for services that were not delivered, the Attorney General's office said. In addition, Global made unauthorized withdrawals from job seekers bank accounts, didn't provide refunds, and charged excessive fees to those who tried to cancel their contracts.

"This company continued to deceive consumers despite the lawsuit filed against it," Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann said in a statement. "It tricked consumers into believing it would help them find jobs, but instead, it simply took their money without fulfilling promises."

Global could not be reached for comment.

In the Massachusetts case, Monitor Staffing Inc. of Canton MA and its owner, Derek Williams, was fined $6,010 in civil penalties and ordered to pay more than $15,000 in restitution to nurses for wages owed between August and November of 2007, according to the Massachusetts Office of the Attorney General. Williams could not be reached for comment.