IN BRIEF : Dun & Bradstreet Investigated

CINCINNATI — The U.S. Postal Inspection Service said today that it is investigating allegations that Dun & Bradstreet Corp. defrauded customers who buy its credit information.

Joseph Clark, the Cincinnati postal inspector handling the investigation, said he has questioned several Dun & Bradstreet employees, but he declined to give details.

“We’re in a position where we wouldn’t deny it, but I can’t comment further than that on the specifics of the investigation,” Clark said.

Clark said the investigation developed from allegations in a suit filed in U.S. District Court here by a Dun & Bradstreet salesman who alleged that the company engaged in misrepresentations to induce customers to buy more credit-reporting services than they needed.

The company has denied the allegations and said it has begun an internal investigation.