The state Attorney General has sued a Florida employment agency that placed help-wanted ads for park rangers in Pennsylvania newspapers and charged applicants $69.95 for civil service materials that are available free.

American Career Services Inc., of Margate, Fla., was accused in the lawsuit of violating consumer protection and unfair trade laws and laws regulating employment agencies.

The lawsuit, filed Monday in Commonwealth Court by Attorney General Tom Corbett, seeks civil penalties and full restitution to consumers who file complaints with the state's Bureau of Consumer Protection.

Corbett also accused American Career Services of operating as an employment agency without a license.

He wants the company to permanently forfeit its right to operate in the state and pay for the investigation.

According to Corbett, job seekers who called an advertised toll-free number were told they must take a civil service exam and pay a fee to receive an application and study materials to prepare for the test.

Consumers interviewed by Corbett's office said the company led them to believe it served as a middleman for government agencies that sought assistance in locating candidates to fill job vacancies when it does not.

At least one ad published last year falsely advertised park ranger positions that paid $13 an hour and included benefits. Not only were the jobs not available, Corbett said they actually pay $11.62 an hour without benefits.

"The company also claimed that it would take care of all costs associated with administrating the exam. The applicants later learned that the jobs they were seeking did not exist and that the Commonwealth provides the test and all related study materials for free."

Barbara Petito, a spokeswoman for Corbett, said the investigation by his office found there were no jobs available at the times of the year when samples of the advertisements provided by consumers were placed. And while the lawsuit mentions park rangers, Petito said at least one consumer made a similar complaint regarding federal postal jobs.

Although it has collected several examples, the attorney general's office has no idea how many newspapers accepted the advertisements. The Post-Gazette declined to say, citing customer confidentiality.

When a reporter called American Career Services yesterday, a customer service representative said the company advertises for park rangers only when those jobs are listed on the state's civil service Web site, www.scsc.state.pa.us.

Applicants who buy a study book are given a refund if they get a failing grade, she said. The company owner, Michele Coslete, was not available for comment and a follow-up call went unanswered.

A current online summary of available civil service examinations does include seasonal park rangers for the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, but agency spokesman Terry Brady said there are no openings. "We're not actively hiring but there is always a listing," he said.

Typically, the state has seasonal jobs available in parks from April to September, but Brady said there is a ready supply of experienced people with civil service credentials who return year after year. Full-time job openings are rare. When they do occur, Brady said experienced seasonal workers are given preference.

People who take the civil service test for park ranger and pass the test are put on a list that is distributed to individual parks for consideration.