Since April, 1,200 internet domains with “Ebola” in their name have been registered. The official in charge of protecting and informing Kansas investors is warning about a likely increase in fraudulent online investment schemes related to Ebola.

Kansas Securities Commissioner Josh Ney cautions investors to be cautious with any unsolicited investment opportunities.

“Past experience tells us that periods of uncertainty or fear are prime time for con-artists looking to make a quick payday,” said Ney. “Investors should approach with caution any unsolicited Ebola-related investment opportunities, especially those received through the internet or email.”

Ney said an analysis of Internet domain names by the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) found nearly 1,200 domains with “Ebola” in their name have been registered since April 2014. About 1,000 of those registrations have occurred since July, as awareness of the crisis has spread. Of these sites, 184 were identified by NASAA’s Internet Fraud Investigations project group as suspicious.

“Our system identified a number of sites that may be suspect,” said Jake Van der Laan, Director of Enforcement for the New Brunswick Financial and Consumer Services Commission and chair of NASAA’s Internet Fraud Investigations project group. “A review of domain names indicates that there certainly appear to be those intent on raising Ebola-related funds or otherwise trying to leverage the crisis for financial gain.”

Van der Laan said a review of Ebola-related domain names found several with the words “fund,” “invest,” “stock,” or “futures” in their titles. For example, the following domain names have been registered: FundsForEbola.com; BestEbolaStocks.com; EbolaFutures.com; EbolaInvesting.com; EbolaOutbreakStocks.com; and EbolaStocks.com.

Most of the domain names are currently “parked” and have no content, indicating that either someone has purchased the domain hoping to resell it, or the content is not yet ready.

Securities Commissioner Ney reminds investors to use common sense. “Promises of quick wealth generally are red flags signaling fraud ahead,” said Ney. He urges individuals to contact his office to determine if both the promoter of the investment and the investment itself are licensed and registered. If not, they may be operating illegally. The KSC can be reached at ksc@ksc.ks.gov or 785-296-3307.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – During an interview today on Fox News’s “Your World With Neil Cavuto,” U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) discussed executive overreach in light of reports that the Obama Administration is preparing an executive order to bypass Congress to enact immigration reform.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The execution of a Missouri man who killed a woman and her two children is on hold indefinitely as the U.S. Supreme Court decides whether to review the case.

The court on Tuesday issued a late stay of execution just hours before Mark Christeson was scheduled to die by injection.

That stay will remain in place until the court decides whether to hear Christeson’s appeal. His request cites concerns that his lawyers were ineffective and missed a deadline to appeal with a federal court in 2005.

Christeson still could be executed if the justices rule against a review.

In the meantime, a spokesman for the Missouri Department of Corrections says he’ll be transferred from a holding cell at the execution facility and back to prison in the next few days.

KANSAS CITY (AP) – A former Kansas City woman pleaded guilty to a scheme to receive more than $454,000 in illegal income tax refunds.

Thirty-three-year-old Chiquita Tyler, also known as Chiquita Robinson, pleaded guilty Wednesday to making a false claim to a federal agency and identity theft. Tyler lives in Wylie, Texas.

Tyler admitted she prepared income tax returns using false or stolen identity information between February 2010 and February 2011 for about 70 people. The refunds were deposited on a prepaid debit card mailed to Tyler at her home and other locations in Kansas City.

Tyler faces a sentence of up to 20 years in federal prison without parole, plus a fine up to $500,000 and an order of restitution. Her sentencing has not been scheduled.

ERIC TUCKER, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Attorney General Eric Holder says it’s clear that there’s a need for “wholesale change” in the Ferguson, Missouri, police department.

The Justice Department is investigating the practices of the police department following the Aug. 9 police shooting of an unarmed black 18-year-old.

At a forum in Washington on Wednesday, Holder wouldn’t say what the changes should be or how the investigation would turn out.

A government official confirms that there are discussions among Missouri officials about having Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson step down as part of efforts to change the department. The official was not authorized to discuss those talks by name and spoke on condition of anonymity.

OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — Defense attorneys for a Missouri man accused of killing three people outside of two Jewish centers in Kansas say prosecutors are planning to seek the death penalty against him.

Kansas Death Penalty Defense Unit attorney Ron Evans says in a motion for a continuance filed Tuesday that Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe recently told him of his decision to seek the death penalty against 73-year-old Frazier Glenn Miller Jr.

The Kansas City Star reports Miller, also known as Frazier Glenn Cross, is believed to be the oldest person ever charged with capital murder in Kansas.

Miller, of Aurora, Missouri, is accused of killing 53-year-old Terri LaManno, 69-year-old William Lewis Corporon and his grandson, 14-year-old Reat Griffin Underwood on April 13.