Using the number 651-917-2179
Complaint
Mark
Country: United States
I have gotten many cals from this number and a company called MPI. They call at dinner time and very early in the morning. I have asked them to stop repeatedly. They claim that they have never heard the complaint. I suspect that my number is in MPI's datavase and that they rent the database to charitable orgs who contract with individuals to make phone calls and raise money. How can I find MPI and get my name out of their database?
Comments
"marco - 14 Apr 2009
I did pick up. The guy asked for my ex-wife who moved out four years ago and who never lived here under my new number. Obviously, he's going by addresses.
Caller ID: MPI"
"leaky - 19 Apr 2009
Called at 9:50 on a Sunday morning wanting money for breast cancer research, no name came up just unknown and the number 651-917-2179 of course they only wanted this thru a credit card. They asked for my wife who has had breast cancer. I think they just find personal info and then prey on that"
"AHA! - 17 Apr 2009
ok, googled a bit and found that it's an organization that collects for some Firefighters Charitable Foundation that and more. ABC news did a story on them. Head guy is Richard Troia.
http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/Story?id=131956&page=2
Caller ID: 1-651-917-2179
Caller: MPI
Caller Type: Non-Profit Organization"
"what the heck? - 20 Apr 2009
Called at 3pm today asking for me and said they would try me back later. However they told my husband that they were calling from Maricopa County Deputy office?? Caller ID says MPI. I call it and no one answered.
Caller ID: MPI"
"Octavia - 20 Apr 2009
This call came into me today for "Helping Fight Narcotics." When I told the person to take me off their list, that I didn't believe in their ideology and would only donate to my church, the guy started screaming at me. It was absurd."
"Frank - 7 May 2009
They were calling for donations to help for more under cover police to arrest meth drug dealers. They said that they would send me a package with a sticker and a receipt so I can donate $150.00 dollars."
"Aramia - 21 May 2009
These guys need to be prosecuted. I have received numerous calls from them, asking for my ex-husband. He has never been associated with the home phone number I have now. When I said he didn't live here, they had the gall to ask if I was the wife. Would not tell me anything about themselves, so I refused to answer and hung up on them. Please can someone do something about these [***]??? PLEASE
Caller ID: MPI
Caller: MPI?"
"MPIDontBlameUs - 4 Jun 2009
Greetings - I work for MPI (Meeting Professionals International) in St. Paul. We are a small nonprofit, but we don't make any solicitation calls what-so-ever. Also, the phone number listed is similar to ours (same area code and first three numbers) but not the last four numbers. Wanted to let you all know it is not us making these calls, I can see how it would be annoying.
Caller ID: 651-917-2179
Caller: MPI"
"
http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/Story?id=131956&page=1
Revenue, expenses, etc. Note how 89% of what they raise goes to overhead or fundraising.
http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=3698
MPI connected to:
Firefighters Charitable Foundation, Fraternal Order of Police in Virginia
http://whocalled.us/lookup/8047675648
Connected with AZ call center run by Midwest Publishing.
http://www.tonawanda-news.com/local/gnnlocalnews_story_031233824.html
"...
“They are in no way affiliated with the firefighters in Niagara Falls,” MacKay said. “We receive no benefits form them at all.”
Fire Captain Greg Colangelo, the president of the union that represents officers in the department and Firefighter Joe Pedula, the president of the union that represents rank and file firefighters both said the foundation has no connection to any of the charitable efforts of their unions.
The local fire officials also expressed alarm over both the operations of the foundation and its fundraiser.
The call to MacKay came from an Arizona call center operated by Midwest Publishing. The company is a commercial fundraiser whose most recent government filings show that only 15 percent of contributions they receive are actually distributed to charity.
A filing with the state of Washington Secretary of State shows that in the 2004 fiscal year, Midwest Publishing took in $734,308 in contributions, yet passed on only $105,886 to its charity clients.
The record of the Firefighters Charitable Foundation is no better than its fundraiser when it comes to actually giving money to the people and organizations it claims to help. In it’s most recent filing with the state of Washington Secretary of State, the foundation reported it raised more than $4.3 million in 2006, yet it spent only $668,748 for its programs.
That means that only about 15 cents of every dollar raised in contributions from the public gets spent on the foundation’s missions.
The foundation, in financial filings claims that it spends just $208,959, roughly 5 percent of its total revenue. However its filings also show the foundation spends more than $3.6 million on fundraising.
That represents 81 percent of the foundation’s total revenue.
..."
Lawsuit for violation of the Iowa Consumer Fraud Act, filed by the Iowa Attorney General against Midwest Publishing, a Michigan corporation with a call center in Arizona engaged in charitable solicitation.
http://www.iowa.gov/government/ag/latest_news ... ub_PETITION.pdf
This is the link to an online complaint form with the FCC...report them!
I have many great things in store for America.
Scam "charity" telemarketers rake off all but a few percent as telemarketing fees and overhead funnelled to related for-profit companies, delivering only a few percent as the "product" donation represented to the donor to be used for the charitable purpose. They are really in the "business" of telemarketing to get money for themselves, since that is where most of it goes.
At least with the Girl Scouts, you get to eat the cookies. And if you want to give money to them, with 100% going to them and not some cookie company, you can do that too.
None of these groups have the resources nor the funds to set up a call center, print off bills or brochures and spend money on all the mailing costs- especially considering when "cold-calling" people the pay rate is about 40%. (and that's considered excellent. Usually it's lower.) Honestly, stamps are close to 50 cents. Imagine spending that much on each bill you mail out (not to mention the money for printing costs) and only having 40% of them come back, if that.
So as an alternative to having a fundraiser and LOSING money, they enter a contract with a professional fundraiser. Whether or not you think of these people as telemarketing scumbags or not doesn't matter, they're trained professionals at raising money for said groups. Since they ARE paid and their livelihood relies on people donating it makes the solicitation even better. While the groups aren't getting 100% of the money, they're getting more than they would from any other means of fundraising- and they don't have to spend any money doing it.
Yeah, that TOTALLY sounds like an above-the-board operation you're running there. I can't understand why people think you are fraudulent, misleading scumbags. Oh, and Midwest Publishing-DN, Inc. DOES keep the majority of the money it raises all for itself, giving as little as 10% and a maximum of 18% to the non-profits for which they solicit. Meanwhile, many other charities who use LEGITIMATE fundraising companies do much better. It's right here in the official document from the secretary of state. Read it and weep, you prick: http://www.sosnc.com/2008-2009%20CSL%20Annual%20Rpt.pdf
By your argument, as long as ANY money went to the charity, it is worth it.
But if you were solicited by a charity telemarketer, and they honestly told you that only 15 cents of every dollar you paid them would go to the charitable purpose, would you pay them ANYTHING?
That miniscule paythrough (or their failure to mention it) is a material factor in whether donors will choose to donate. Failure to disclose that the paythrough is so small is deceptive. That is the basis for Attorney General actions in cases like this.
And about Charity Fraud in General
THIS IS OUR PUBLIC EDUCATION CAMPAIGN ABOUT POLICE FIRE VETERAN’S AND CHILDREN'S CHARITIES. It can happen anywhere and when it does we would love to hear from you.
WARNING ! WARNING ! WARNING ! WARNING – WARNING – WARNING ! WARNING ! WARNING !
As for the group on this page, it would be a good idea to let your fundraiser know we are out here and now you know that we are looking at them too. I would not let them misrepresent because the first time they do and we catch them, it's all over with but the crying.
If you are reading this message then you were just called by a potentially fraudulent fundraiser for a Police Fire Veteran’s or Children’s Charity. Call your local police department immediately. These organization’s count of the fact that 99% of you do not follow through on your complain about them. That attitude is going to let them call your Grandmother next and believe me when I say they WILL take advantage of her. Give everyone you know our website address www.badgefraud.com and there they will learn everything they need to know to protect themselves and their neighbor’s. No one need donate to us for us to have your backs in this matter.
No Non Profit or Charity has to ever hear from us and they will not unless we find them using the fraudulent techniques that so many States have declared with one voice are illegal and deceptive.
It’s quite simple; if the group is operating legally, we can’t touch them. And they should not be upset with us. They will not have to compete with these shady operators in the future and will have more successful fund drives giving them more money. We have done our job’s.
WE NEED YOUR HELP – WE NEED YOUR HELP – WE NEED YOUR HELP – WE NEED YOUR HELP
We are currently tracking these people through about 1200 of their actual phone lines on message boards like this one and the only way to shake us is to change phone numbers. We expect that number to rise to around 10,000 in the coming months. Every time they get a new number to work from, as soon as they start calling they generate complaints that show up on boards like 800notes.com among others giving us their new phone number to track. In other words every time a fraud pops up, anywhere in the world, we know about it within a day or two of it beginning and can report it and attack it right away.
Please include as much information about the call as you can.
Specifically we need to know the phone number that called you? (we are building a database of every phone number that these groups use to track their call’s.)
Exactly what they told you?
Did they say they were a police officer or a fireman or a veteran? Active or Retired?
Did they say they were calling “with” or “on behalf” of an organization?
Did they say they were a charity or a non profit labor organization?
Did they try to guilt you in to giving?
Did they imply or infer that they were actual officers making the calls?
Did they use intimidation tactics? (if you felt intimidated then yes they used them)
Did they say the phrase “you not in trouble or anything” implying that you should think you might be?
Did they thank you for your past donation?
Did they imply a local connection?
The techniques these organizations employ are by their very nature, deceptive and illegal.
If they have mailed you ANY marketing material, please scan it and email it to ely@pfcl.org to include the full contents of any communication, letter, sticker, return envelope, etc etc etc. *we are only interested in what they tell you so please whit out your personal information before you email it in) we want it from every group that contacts you not just the one on this board. We are looking for sales techniques that many States have already stated are illegal. Once we find them, that information is sent to the Attorney General in the States where they are operating.
Our investigation techniques differ from the Government. We investigate from the outside in while they go after the numbers from the inside out. The numbers do not matter to us, to be quite blunt about it, if the illegal techniques are there, the numbers are too.
Please remember the people that employ these techniques don’t care if you are rich or poor, young or old, sick or well, Republican or Democrat, they do not care what color we are, what gender we are or whether we are Christian, Muslim, Buddhist or 100 other Religion’s, they ONLY care that our money is green and spends like water.
We need you, THE PEOPLE THAT THEY TRIED TO SCAM, we need you to tell your neighbors, friends, associates, family especially, but also, go to your churches and tell your Pastors and Priests tell the everyone who will listen about us and what we do. That helps us more than anything else. Get the word out that we are out here. Give them our web address and or email, the more people that learn about this the better it is for everyone else in the Country when the groups that use these techniques and tactics to pressure you into giving your hard earned money to them.
EXAMPLE OF A CURRENT ATTACK FROM US
Officer Down Foundation,
This is a message from Rev. James revjames@pfcl.org of the Holy Land Spiritual Church Inc. in Maryland and its integrated auxiliary Police Fire Crimeline (The Badge Fraud Tip Reporting Hotline) www.badgefraud.org
I am only going to tell you this one time. Don't you dare come out here on to this or any other board and try to say you are trying to help fallen police officers. You are not trying to help anyone but yourselves. You think I am going to let you talk to these people who are trying to protect themselves from you in that condescending manner. Let me see if I can explain this to your two week on the job backside. Officer Down Foundation's program is to teach Crisis Chaplaincy to Chaplains, it is not to provide benefits to the families of officers killed, they only pitch that because their real program would not get them one single donation, and every time you say they are providing benefits to families of officers killed it is a lie and a misrepresentation and is potentially criminally actionable against you personally as well as your bosses David Fair, Paul Kutac, Phil Leconte and David Deriks.
I will bet you did not know that those are the same group of guys that run the Police Protective Fund and American Association of Police Officers and the Junior Police Academy. These men are so honest and hard working that even after several states sued the pants off of them they had to go out and start another identical fake charity. Remember "Operation False Charity"? Yeah, wow, they were part of it, and now look at who has come to defend them and their new carbon copy of the Multi State proven fraud the Police Protective Fund and by extension The Crisis Chaplin Project.
You, a person that I already know has maybe 2 weeks experience on the phone. I am going to offer you some sage advice from one of your elders in what is left of that industry. GET A NEW JOB! This one is about to disappear.
Now, you have called into 6 of my 50 states and misrepresented yourselves, Maryland, Virginia, Indiana, Illinois, Tennessee and North Carolina and that is a problem for your organization because that is where my organization is located and our mission is to protect charitable dollars specifically raised in the name of Officers Killed in the Line of Duty. Now let me tell you what my organization does. We search out and report fraudulent Police Fire Veteran's and Children's Charities and their professional fundraisers. We protect the money of the people who protect us.
If anyone reading this wants to help with a donation for us to keep going after these scams, feel free to email me and lets talk. revjames@pfcl.org And unlike David Fair attempting to claim 501 c3 status before it is granted, Churches, like the Holy Land Spiritual Church in the United States are granted automatic 501 c3 status so you know you can deduct your donation from your taxes when the law allows.
We also recruit former professional police fundraisers as volunteers to help us go after groups like yours and you would be welcome to join us as well. And we always want to hear any tips on fraudulent activity in public safety charities so we can report them too. The days of diverting money from non profits and charities that really give their money to the families of officers killed in the line of duty, are OVER!
What a coincidence that would be huh? A church and a Minster going after a Chaplain, I would say God called one of us and the other has a big problem not just on earth, but after life too.
Do you know how much easier our job would be if your Officer Down Foundation did not exist?
I am not the kind of minister you are probably familiar with that gets up on Sunday morning to preach about Fire and Brimstone. I am the kind of minister that BRINGS Fire and Brimstone to your doorstep.
See the problem for your organization is that because of your fraudulent activity, you are making us expend our donor’s money to investigate you because you see, that is what OUR donors (Holy Land Spiritual Church) gave their money too and they knew full well that they were giving their money for us to go after groups like yours.
That would be the exact opposite of your group where the donor’s think they are giving to the families of officers killed in the line of duty but what you dont tell them is that the money they donate is really going to David Fair's personal mission of this "Crisis Chaplain" concept.
Well if you did not know we existed before I am not surprised, they never tell you phone jockey's anything, but you are about to know we exist now.
It is our duty and responsibility to protect our donor’s money and the only way for us to do that in the case of the Officer Down Foundation is for them to shut down voluntarily or we must sue the pants off of your group until you are ended. Oh and that is not all you have to look forward too, in North Carolina where you are calling, what you are doing is considered to be a class H felony.
GET A NEW JOB! THE FREE RIDE IS OVER! WE ARE COMING TO SHUT YOU DOWN!
Sincerely,
Rev. James
Holy Land Spiritual Church
Police Fire Crimeline
Badge Fraud Detective Investigations Inc.
5409 Deale Churchton Road #202
Churchton, MD 20733
revjames@pfcl.org
www.badgefraud.org or www.pfcl.org
Tip Line 877-FRAUD97 (tips only)
http://policefirecrimeline.crimestoppersweb.com/ (submit online tips)
202-470-3209 (Church Office)
OUR AUTHORITY
Liviticus 6-2 to 6-5
6:2
When any of you sin and commit a trespass against the Lord by deceiving a neighbor in a matter of a deposit or a pledge, or by robbery, or if you have defrauded a neighbor,
6:3
or have found something lost and lied about it—if you swear falsely regarding any of the various things that one may do and sin thereby—
6:4
when you have sinned and realize your guilt, and would restore what you took by robbery or by fraud or the deposit that was committed to you, or the lost thing that you found,
6:5
or anything else about which you have sworn falsely, you shall repay the principal amount and shall add one-fifth to it. You shall pay it to its owner when you realize your guilt.
We stand on the First Amendment to the
United States Constitution.
Amendment I
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Thank you
An MPI caller
By now you should have all relized that you have a big problem with us and that your future business is going to be done much more truthfully and efficiently. All of the companies listed above have been sued multiple times by multiple states and have proven that they should not be allowed to continue when all they do is break the law.
You do this in all 50 states snow, we have all of your numbers and we are adding more by the day so why dont you just get these people to do this legally. Trying to mislead the public here too I see.
Hey Snow, Its Revjames@pfcl.org from the Holy Land Spiritual Church and its integrated auxiliary Police Fire Crimeline Inc. “The Badge Fraud Tip Reporting Hotline” I talked to all the people here at badgefraud.org and they are unanimous in their opinion that we keep coming in your direction since you seem to want to continue trying to mislead the public on these boards and others.
http://www.pfcl.org/Badge_Fraud_Videos.html
Is it perhaps that you know that if you were to tell the donors that the last fundraiser that the FOP hired, Civic Development Group, got 88% of the money raised and that the FOP only got 12% of it, that they might not give when you call. Especially if they know that they can call the FOP and give directly, cutting you out of the process, then the FOP gets 100% of that donation instead of 12%. I can see why you would want to keep that little piece of information from the donor.
http://www.pfcl.org/-Reverse__Boiler_Room_OP.html
You see Snow, when we say fraud and misrepresentation in the Police Fire Vets and Children’s Charities industry is over, we mean every word of it. That also applies to after the call too, Snow. When you come out here and put up misleading information on virtually every number you use in an effort to make what you do seem legitimate, you too are committing fraud and you are hurting other charities that really do what they say they do.
http://www.pfcl.org/Recovered_Funds.html
For instance when you say, “You help all the officers” when you do not, when the FOP only supports its own members, then you are lying to the donor both during the pitch and after the fact as well. The FOP is a very large group, but they only represent about a third of police officers in the country. Which means that 2/3 of all police officers are not supported by the death benefits, because they are only provided to member officers. That makes it a misrepresentation. Whenever you pitch and don’t include the words “benefits are only provided to members”. That is a crime Snow. It is a material misrepresentation, Did you know that? It is a felony is most states, Snow.
http://www.pfcl.org/Fraud_Hotline.html
The next problem you have Snow is that the FOP wants to approve everything you say about them before you say it and I doubt very seriously that they gave you permission to put this garbage up on 800notes. You are doing it in such a way as to lead the donor to believe it is a message right from the FOP themselves when in reality the message is from the Professional Fundraiser who is not authorized to speak on behalf of the FOP. I’ll bet it is actually in your boss’s contract with the FOP that you cannot do that Snow.
http://www.pfcl.org/Home.html
A potential fraudulent fundraiser has just called you if you are reading this message, call your local police sheriff and media, then call your attorney general so they can all tell your neighbors before they get scammed too. If you want to give to the FOP Lodge, then call them directly and take your check there so you know that it stays local.
Research on Who's Calling from 405-330-2164, and Are Calls Legit?
Published July 02, 2010 by:
Oklahoma Fraternal Order of Police Phone Solicitations... Scam or Honorable?
After receiving countless solicitation phone calls from the Oklahoma Fraternal Order of Police, I decided to take matters into my own hands. Through skillful sleuthing, I discovered that the
calls are from a Utah company, on the edge of the law!
Thanks once again to modern technology, a phone call from 405-330-2164 (listed as the "Oklahoma Fraternal Order of Police) was listed incorrectly on my caller ID. For a year or so now we have been getting phone calls from this "organization", talking about the good that they do in the communities. And while I do support law enforcement efforts (primarily through local donations), I have never donated to anyone who solicits over the phone, no matter who they are or the worthy cause they promote.
To this end, I had repeatedly asked the caller to please take me off of the calling list. I explained that we never make donations over the phone, to which the caller replied, "Oh, we send out a prepaid envelope for your donation. We don't take any information by phone." No matter how hard I tried (while always being polite) the caller would always rebuttal at least two times (a telemarketing requirement). Finally, they would assure me that our name and number would be removed from the list, and no further calls would be received. Yet, lo and behind, a couple of weeks later the same number, 405-330-2164, would show up again on the caller ID, asking for the same donations from the same organization.
About two days ago we got yet another call, and this time I decided enough was enough. I recorded the conversation! I point blank asked for the manager, who said his name was Jason. I said, "And where are you located?" His reply... "Utah". As it turns out, your caller ID is showing the originating phone number as 405-330-2164, but in reality it is being placed from a call center.
I recorded my conversation with Jason, making it blatantly clear that the call was being recorded and archived. I stated that any further calls from his organization would be considered harassment and we would file
charges against him. I asked four times for clarification of his understanding, to ensure there was no doubt about our intention or our feelings of harassment.
If you call back this number you will first get a recording, giving you the option to be removed from the call list (which never works, they keep calling back!), make a donation, or speak to a customer service representative. When I called back, I pressed option 3 for customer service and was greeted in the following way:
"Thank you for calling the Corporations for Character, call center for the Oklahoma Fraternal Order of Police. Can I help you?"
That's right folks, "Corporations for Character," NOT the Fraternal Order of Police! Something smells a little fishy.
Researching the Corporations for Character, owned and operated by
(See Reference 1 below)
-----------------------Rekab Sudskany, L.C., I found the following company website:
Address
Corporations for Character
5286 S. Commerce Dr.
Murray, UT 84107
Email Address
service (at) corporationsforcharacter.org
-----------------------
This company's only current "program" (which is short for telemarketing job) is to call for Fraternal Order of Police in all 50 states. That means that the call from 405-330-2164, a supposed Oklahoma entity, is only one of many calls placed from this company, with phone numbers showing from related states. In other words, if someone lived in Tennessee, they would see a Tennessee phone number on the caller ID.
Interestingly enough, when I searched for "Corporations for Character" online, I found that the company has been sued by different state Attorney General's offices and there are many consumer complaints.
One consumer reports that the representative caller said, "30% of donations go to FOP." Consumer suggests going to the official FOP website and supporting them there, with 100% of your donation. Website with this comment found here:
(see reference 2 below)
The company was also sued in Feb 2010 for violation of the do-not-call registry in Tennessee, ordered to pay $180,000 as discovered on this court docket:
(see reference 3 below)
Aside from calling from the 405-330-2164 number in Oklahoma or other state-related numbers, Corporations for Character are also calling people using number 8778674596 in order to
solicit donations for cancer patients. In this instance they call themselves the "Cancer Fund of America." Read what many people, including one consumer who was a current cancer patient, said to them about the call!:
(see reference 4 below)
Some of the callers from this company even have the nerve to call themselves officers! Read the report of California consumers who have received these phone calls:
(see reference 5 below)
Should you donate to anyone calling you from the so-called Fraternal Order of Police? Do you believe that your caller ID information is accurate? The answers to those questions are up to you. I do know that there is such a thing as the FOP, and the organization does wonderful things in and around the communities that they serve. However, the FOP does not make phone calls for solicitations. Corporations for Character might be on the up and up, but as for me and my family, if they call my house again from that 405-330-2164 number I fully intend to sue for violation of the do-not-call registry!
References:
http://www.corporationsforcharacter.org/new/ourprograms.htm
https://800notes.com/Phone.aspx/1-714-551-5554
https://whocallsme.com/PhoneNumber.aspx/8778674596
http://www.state.tn.us/tra/orders/2009/0900200a.pdf
http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/corporations-for-character-c351644.html
Tags: fraternal order police phone solicitation, corporations for character scam, scam 4053302164oklahoma fraternal order, oklahoma fop telemarketing, FOP, who's calling from 4053302164, 405-330-2164, telemarketing call fraternal order police, charitable donations FOP
FOP State Lodge Closes the Door on Telemarketing
As of January 1, 2010, The Fraternal Order of Police, Illinois State Lodge no longer uses telemarketing as a means of fundraising for the organization. Recently, we have found that there are telephone solicitation scams that are using the Fraternal Order of Police name in order to gain trust from the public and attempt to acquire money and personal information. Please be wary of phone solicitation. Some local lodges still use telemarketing for their donation request efforts, but they should be happy to provide you with any information you ask of them in trying to ascertain the legitimacy of their fundraising campaign.
A request may be made to be placed on a “Do Not Call List” and in the event of scam we ask that you contact the Illinois Attorney General’s Office of Consumer Fraud at 800-386-5438 (Chicago) 800-844-5461 (Springfield) or 800-243-0607 (Carbondale). If you have any questions or concerns about a potential FOP telemarketing call, please do not hesitate to call our office at 800-522-2677.
What the Law Says in Washington State
(sounds like up to a 10,000 dollar reward just to catch them lying)
A violation of the Charitable Solicitations Act is also a violation of the Consumer Protection Act. This means the consumer can sometimes recover up to three times the amount of damages (up to $10,000) in a successful court action.
Under the law (RCW 19.09) an individual soliciting a contribution must:
• Clearly state her or his name;
• Clearly state the name of the charitable organization and its principal place of business;
• Clearly state the name of the commercial fundraiser, if any, that employs the solicitor; and
• Disclose the true nature of the organization's relationship to the government, if it is associated with or has a name similar to a government organization; and, upon request, state the published number of the Secretary of State (800) 332-4483.
An individual soliciting a contribution must not:
• Make a false, deceptive or misleading representation;
• State or imply that the contribution is tax deductible unless the charity has filed with the Secretary of State its letter from the Internal Revenue Service granting tax deductible status;
• Use the name "police, "sheriff", "fire fighter" or similar name unless authorized;
• Harass, intimidate or torment;
• Claim the tickets to an event will be donated unless the fundraiser has obtained a letter from those persons stating they will accept the tickets and the number they will accept; or
• Call before 8:00 a.m. or after 9:00 p.m.
http://www.pfcl.org/WebTips_Program.html
http://www.pfcl.org/What_The_Fundraisers_Say.html
http://www.pfcl.org/Badge_Fraud_Tip_Rewards.html
http://www.pfcl.org/The_Church_Connection.html
http://www.pfcl.org/Story_of_Mitch_Gold.html
Police Warn Of Fake Fundraiser For Fallen Officer
Officer Killed During Gun Battle
POSTED: Friday, August 6, 2010
UPDATED: 6:56 pm EDT August 6, 2010
http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/24536429/detail.html
FOP fund-raising calls rile police chief
http://www.ajc.com/hotjobs/content/metro/gwin ... /30/police.html
Special Report: Tracking local Fraternal Order of Police donations with video
http://www.nbcaugusta.com/news/georgia/35629264.html
Gwinnett police fundraiser? Not exactly
Chief Charles Walters urges public to report phone calls seeking solicitation
Gwinnett County Police Chief Charles Walters issued a press release this week urging the public to file a police report if a telephone solicitor asks for donations for the Gwinnett County Police Department's Fraternal Order of Police. Technically, no such organization exists.
http://www.ajc.com/hotjobs/content/metro/gwin ... order_0430.html
The Virginia Fraternal Order of Police is really starting to piss me off
http://www.brambletonian.net/forums/lofiversion/index.php/t8576.html
Georgia Fraternal Order of the Police (FOP)
http://www.thetruecitizen.com/common/archive/2002/html/08/letters081402.htm
How to tell if calls from Tenn. Fraternal Order of Police are legit
http://www.wate.com/Global/story.asp?S=11232607
MN Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Phone Scam: A more recent scam has been reported in which a caller claiming to represent the MN FOP will ask for the “women of the house” and then ask for a donation. As it turns out, the MN FOP does not solicit phone donations and thus the money taken is from scam artists.
http://wblpdcrimehelp.wordpress.com/
St. Albans man charged in sheriff associations scheme
McDonald claimed he was raising money for the three sheriff associations and other FOP associations, according to the release. He's allegedly tried the scam in other counties.
http://www.wvgazette.com/News/201007290783
Sheriff says beware of fire departmentfundraiser scam
April 23, 2010
CWN Staff
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search? ... n&ct=clnk&gl=us
Washtenaw County sheriff's deputies say 'fundraising' calls are a scam
http://www.annarbor.com/news/washtenaw-county ... lls-are-a-scam/
BBB warns of Missouri Deputy Sheriff’s Association
http://www.globe-democrat.com/news/2010/jul/2 ... fs-association/
Telephone Solicitation Warning:
The Oakland County Sheriff's Office is a professional police organization that properly equips its deputies using funds from the County budget. The Sheriff's Office does not do any telephone soliciting of any kind, nor do we endorse the fundraising efforts of any organization claiming to be affiliated with the Sheriffs Office.
http://www.oakgov.com/sheriff/
| March 02, 2010 Video warning
Clinton County's sheriff is warning of a scam involving phone calls claiming to be about a sheriff's office fundraiser.
http://il.youtube.com/watch?v=BspZYOVyiF4&feature=related
Black Hawk Co. Sheriff's office warns of fundraising scam
http://www.kwwl.com/Global/story.asp?S=12400300
Sheriff issues warning regarding
telephone fund raising scam
Cook County Sheriff Michael F. Sheahan is warning citizens throughout the county to beware of over-the-phone solicitations from callers claiming to represent the Sheriff's Office and other law enforcement groups.
http://todaysseniorsnetwork.com/fundraising_scams.htm
Posted: 5:48 PM Jul 29, 2010
Huntington Police Warn of Fraudulent Fundraiser
neither the Huntington Police Department nor the FOP Goldstar Lodge #65 is involved in any type of solicitations
http://www.wsaz.com/news/headlines/99580899.html
Friday, November 6, 2009
Hollis police warn of fundraiser fraud
http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/422426-19 ... iser-fraud.html
Delta Police warn public over fraudulent fundraising phone calls
Published: July 13, 2010 3:00 PM
Updated: July 14, 2010 8:37 AM
The Delta Police Department is advising the public the organization does not solicit or raise funds from the public.
http://www.bclocalnews.com/richmond_southdelt ... s/98330674.html
Police Issue Warning About Phony Solicitors
Submitted by Gail Brown on Monday, June 14th, 4:19 pm
Think you just got a call from the Golden Valley Police Department asking for money? Police department officials--the real ones--say it wasn't them.
http://goldenvalley.kstp.com/content/police-i ... hony-solicitors
Updated: Chapel Hill Police Warn Of Scam
Updated: Apr. 8 4:29 pm
By Lauren Hills, NBC17
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -
Chapel Hill Police are warning people not to be misled by a fundraising scam by people claiming to be local law enforcement.
http://wake.mync.com/site/wake/news/story/932/chapel_hill_police_warn_of_scam
Police Warn Of Fake Fundraiser For Fallen Officer
Police Warn Of Fake Fundraiser For Fallen Officer
Taylor police are warning residents that someone is asking for donations in the name of fallen officer Cpl. Mathew Edwards’ family.
ClickonDetroit Video
http://www.clickondetroit.com/video/24543687/index.html
Fake Fundraiser Stealing From Kids: Boys & Girls Club
Man claims to raise money for children but doesn't work for club
By SCOTT GORDON
Updated 3:44 AM CDT, Sat, May 8, 2010
http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/business/Boys--Gir ... r-93168134.html
Retired & Disabled Police of America
The Retired & Disabled Police of America (RDPOA) is a national fraternal organization formed in October of 1990 to represent the interests of retired and disabled law enforcement officers along with seeking out services and benefits.
ADVERTISER WARNING: Effective May 1, 2010, the Retired & Disabled Police of America no longer uses telemarketers for fundraising
purposes. If you receive a telephone solicitation from anyone claiming to represent the Retired & Disabled Police of America or the Police
& Sheriffs Law Enforcement Online Journal, we suggest you contact your local law enforcement agency as you may have been the victim
of an attempted fraud.
http://www.psleoj.com/
KSP warns of telephone fundraising scams using state police name
KSP: Citizens should be on guard
Posted: 06/04/2010
FRANKFORT, Ky. - Citizens throughout the Commonwealth should be on guard for telephone solicitations requesting donations for the benefit of the Kentucky State Police.
http://www.kypost.com/dpp/news/region_norther ... ate-police-name
State moves to shut down veteran charity
by Anne Yeager, KGW Staff Video News Report
Posted on July 21, 2010 at 6:33 AM
Updated Wednesday, Jul 21 at 10:46 AM
PORTLAND -- Lynda and her husband, John Neuman, have made it their passion to deliver medals to vets across the state. But the Oregon State Attorney General's Office has sued the non-profit agency, claiming they were being deceptive and misleading to donors.
http://www.kgw.com/home/State-Wants-To-Shut-D ... t-98890489.html
Their Professional Fundraiser is Associated Community Services Inc and they are the same Professional Fundraisers that raised the money for Bobby Thompson and the US Navy Veterans Association. 100 million is missing there and no one knows where this guy is?
http://www.sos.wa.gov/charities/search_detail_cfr.aspx?cfr_id=364
Posted: 10:40 PM Aug 7, 2010
Scammers targeting veterans
Crooks taking advantage of servicemen, women
COVINGTON — Things aren’t always what they seem, warns Tommy Clack, field manager and veterans service officer for the Georgia Department of Veterans Services for the east side of Atlanta.
Telephone solicitors may not be who they say they are and just because a guy with a pair of camouflage pants and a flag sets up a table outside a local retail store, he may not be a veteran.
Clack says scam artists are running rampant in an effort to circumvent government funding and charitable donations intended for veterans.
http://www.rockdalecitizen.com/newtonnews/headlines/100203169.html
Solicited to help veterans? Be careful, it may be a scam
By Lori Monsewicz
CantonRep.com staff writer
Posted Jul 15, 2010 @ 01:22 PM
Last update Jul 15, 2010 @ 02:19 PM
Stark County sheriff’s deputies are investigating “a possible scam” involving a group claiming to raise money for veterans, said Chief Deputy Rick Perez.
Perez said the group, believed to have been operating in the area since January 2009, calls itself “Charlie Company 1.”
BY MATTHEW HATHAWAY • mhathaway@post-dispatch.com > 314-340-8121 | Posted: Saturday, July 24, 2010 12:00 am | 1 Comment
Judge police charities by theIR fundraisers
In "Operation False Charity," the Federal Trade Commission and state regulators — including Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster — filed civil suits or criminal charges against 32 firms, 22 nonprofit groups and 31 individuals allegedly involved in bilking donors to bogus police, firefighter and veterans groups.
http://www.stltoday.com/business/columns/savv ... 5d04aad98f.html
State officials warn of scammers
Attorney general, secretary of state travel here to help stop fraud.
Even legitimate charities are exposed by contracting with companies to solicit money for them. The soliciting company, not a part of the charity, can take as much as 90 percent of the contribution.
"And some sound like they are legitimate charities, but they are not," Suthers said. "They select names that are close to the names of legitimate organizations.
http://www.chieftain.com/news/local/article_5 ... 1cc4c03286.html
Police warn of phone scam
By JCFLORIDAN STAFF
Published: August 08, 2010
The Marianna Police Department issued a warning of a possible telephone solicitation scam that has occurred in the area. The scammers claim they are raising money with the permission of thepolice department.
http://www2.jcfloridan.com/news/2010/aug/08/police-warn-phone-scam-ar-675472/
Attorney general targets 3 fundraisers' practices
BY LEE ROOD • LROOD@DMREG.COM • JULY 30, 2010
Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller gave lawmakers three more reasons Thursday to reconsider legislation that would require charities raising money in the state to make public key financial information.
Miller said Thursday that attorneys in his office have taken action against three fundraisers accused of using deceptive practices to solicit money from Iowans for charities.
At a news conference, Miller said he would try again in January to persuade lawmakers to require charities that raise more than $50,000 annually in Iowa to provide financial information, a move those groups have resisted. Consumers could access the information online and could see what percentage of a charity's income is used for charitable purposes.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/2010 ... isers-practices
Beware of phone scam claiming link with Highway Patrol
Journal staff | Posted: Thursday, August 5, 2010 6:00 pm | (2) Comments
A bogus telephone fundraiser claiming a connection with the South Dakota Highway Patrol is operating in the Rapid City area, according to Patrol Lt. David Berkley.
"We are not doing any fundraising," Berkley said.
Callers claiming they represent the South Dakota Peace Officers' Association are calling businesses asking for money for a children's charity.
"They identify themselves as state troopers or state police," Berkley said. "We are the Highway Patrol."
Couple charged with bilking businesses in police charity scam
The Tampa Tribune
Published: July 31, 2010
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2010/jul/31/na-co ... esses-in-polic/
Protect Iowans from dishonest fundraisers
THE REGISTER'S EDITORIAL • AUGUST 4, 2010
Last week, Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller announced his office had taken action against three professional fundraisers. The companies allegedly deceived Iowans - lying about such things as how donations would be used. It's right for the state to go after organizations that are apparently scam artists disguised as do-gooders. But by the time the state can pursue such companies, Iowans already have given away their money. This state must prevent Iowans from being misled by fundraisers in the first place.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/2010 ... est-fundraisers
Great Neck family accused of cancer charity scam
April 19, 2010 By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER jennifer.kelleher@newsday.com
A temporary restraining order freezing the assets of a Great Neck family accused of operating a bogus breast cancer charity and duping donors of more than half a million dollars was extended for another week Monday.
http://www.newsday.com/long-island/crime/grea ... -scam-1.1869670
Published - Wednesday, February 17, 2010
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Onalaska police warn of bullet-proof vest scam
The Onalaska Police Department is warning citizens to be alert for a scam operating in the area. Unknown parties have been contacting citizens claiming to be raising money to purchase bullet-proof vests for Onalaska police officers.
http://www.courierlifenews.com/articles/2010/02/17/news/02policescam.txt
Bizarre charity scam features calls from ‘police chief’
Monday, August 9, 2010
BY DEENA YELLIN
THE RECORD
STAFF WRITER
CLIFTON — Police are investigating a group they say aggressively sought donations on behalf of the Clifton police but actually had no relationship with the department.
A caller contacted a local physician last week identifying his organization as the Garden State Law Enforcement Officers Association and claiming to represent the Clifton Police Department, Detective Capt. Robert Rowan said.
http://www.northjersey.com/news/100242099_Biz ... ice_chief_.html
March 10, 2010
Indiana State police warn of scammers
Special to the Tribune-Star
http://tribstar.com/news/x1745488759/Indiana-State-police-warn-of-scammers
Updated: Chapel Hill Police Warn Of Scam
Updated: Apr. 8 4:29 pm
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -
Chapel Hill Police are warning people not to be misled by a fundraising scam by people claiming to be local law enforcement.
Posted: 5:48 PM Jul 29, 2010
Huntington Police Warn of Fraudulent Fundraiser
Huntington Police tell WSAZ.com that unknown individuals are calling residents in the area to solicit donations to buy winter coats for children.
http://www.wsaz.com/home/headlines/99580899.html