Police report an increase in complaints about fake-return scams that cost the government billions and can take victims months to sort out.

Agreeing to ransom demands can encourage the often untraceable criminal, experts say, but a few hundred dollars is a small price to pay if critical computer files are at risk.

A Boston businessman’s allegation that a Biddeford policeman assaulted him for years when he was a child is referred to the Attorney General’s Office.

Police say Peter Desantis searched several patrons at the Tailgate Bar and Grill in Gray and assaulted two men.

Residents of an apartment on Cumberland Avenue told police the men forced their way inside and demanded money.