The scripts were designed to give the impression that they were helping out officers versus lobbying efforts, he said, adding that the political affiliation was only fully disclosed when someone proactively asked where the money would be going. He was super pushy trying to get me to donate for 75,95, 105 dollars. Our movement is comprised of tens of thousands of Americans from all walks of life who are joined together by their common respect for the rule of law and united in their support for the police officers who put their lives on the line every day in their communities. After further investigation, they are not approved by the better business bureau and they have nothing but horrible reviews . Police charity asking for money - is it a scam? - YouTube This particular super PACs treasurer is a former cop who was arrested for stealing $50,000 from the police union for which he served as president. We do not support nor do we condone this group, the post stated. A special program within the International Union of Police Associations, AFL-CIO.Speaking With One Voice, Moving With One Purpose. NEWS ALERT: House votes to kill Biden's 'woke' rule: 'Phony movement' The cause sounds worthy: Please support your local firefighters (or police officers), the caller implores. As we stated earlier, these 50 charities account for almost $1 Billion in donations. I told him that there is no such thing as a National Police Trust Fund. Police association scam calls: Don't fall for it, says Bob Ziegelbauer Just hang up. The PTRF/LEORF was created to provide specialized relief when, tragically, a law enforcement officer is killed in the line-of-duty or seriously injured in . CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Please let me know if there are any actions ScamPulse.com suggests I take other than ignore any future requests. Each organization says it is spending money for police officers being abused and unfairly targeted. National Police Association (@NatPoliceAssoc) / Twitter Several donors said they never would have given money to the group if they knew it would pay for Trump advertisements, including 70-year-old Susan Durie, a self-described bleeding heart liberal Democrat from Los Angeles who donated around $600 and said she felt like a victim of a scam since she thinks she was misled into believing that her donation would go to local police. After I rejected he offered some booster donations of 15,25, 35 dollars to Goodwill or other organizations. If your phone rings, it's not us. An image from Law Enforcement For A Safer America PAC's Facebook page. Is National Police Support Fund Legit - KnowYourPolice.net Post has been removed or is no longer public. Similarly, the Police Coalition of America, which promises "to enact positive change and legislation that protects our citizens as well as our law enforcement," spent $530,000 on . At the end of 2021, robocalls raising money for police groups were thehighest-volume phone messages in most major U.S. markets, according to Nomorobo, a robocall-blocking company that works with AARP on fraud prevention. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try Enter address: This website, like most media sites, uses small files called cookies to anonymously customize the advertising that you see. If it is a scam they are awfully convincing on the phone but are also rather forceful. Filed Jan. 29, 2020, 3:45 p.m. GMT. Charity hustles work the same way. Get Gephardt Investigates: Who is the 'Police Alliance' and why are The fundraisers connection to the charity. Here are some things you can do to avoid donating to a fake charity: Pay attention to the charity's name. See the metrics below for more information. Many donors say they believed they were supporting a charity that helps local officers. Im calling on behalf of the National Save the Police Fund,* the voice on the phone told me. Continuously redirected to the toll free number provided which cut out each time it was listed. So I would like to say just beware of scammers , Ive copied the letter I received so in hopes that people will know not to donate unless you are 109% sure it not a scam. The tour began with 18 members of law enforcement, who rode from New Jersey to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C. Their impact and transparency ratings: The Police Unity Tour holds a Financial rating of 84 out of 100 from Charity Navigator. As an example, he cites former Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County in Arizona. Is the American police officers Alliance legit? - iPhone Forum Another charity that should come with a "donator, beware" sign is the Police Protection Fund. Please do your homework and avoid scams and misleading appeals for your hard-earned money.. Also worth noting is that while his organization is based in Virginia, and gets its mail in Stafford, TX, Fotis lives in Lake Worth, FL. A union receptionist also confirmed to CNN that the super PAC is run by the union, but union leaders did not respond to repeated calls, voicemails and emails that laid out the concerns from other police departments and donors and asked why so little of the $10 million raised went toward political activities. On 11/4 another local call came it was the same man! See the metrics below for more information. Type of a scam Charity. Simple web searches can show that the 'charitable organization' calling either 1 . We highly encourage our followers to verify who they are making donations to when contacted for fundraisers.. Their impact and transparency ratings: The National Association of Police Athletic/Activities League has an Accountability and Transparency score of 92 out of 100 from Charity Navigator. In the wake of tragedies large and small, they pop up like mushrooms after a rain. This all looks very peculiar, said Richard Briffault, a professor at Columbia Law School who specializes in campaign finance. Gifts to actual charities are donations to PACs, which sometimes sound like charities, are not. Never disclose personal information. Or follow the simplest rule: Never give to anyone over the phone, said Margot Saunders, senior counsel for the National Consumer Law Center. "Being that it was a recording right off the bat . Learn how vehicle tech like blind spot warnings and drowsy driving alerts can help make driving safer. I received a phone call asking me to donate to National Police Support Fund I was going to give them my debit card number over the phone but changed my mind at the last moment. A secretive political group has been pulling in millions of dollars in recent months amid a growing Blue Lives Matter movement, with a cadre of telemarketers urgently telling Americans that now is the time to support the police and keep them safe. If the potential donors suspected they had given to the group before, the callers were instructed to say: I have no way of knowing because we feel that donations are given from the heart, not the hand, so we keep all donation records confidential, according to the FAQ. Law enforcement has a tough enough job without having to put up with charlatans masquerading as heroes. I found a few small line items labeled legislative services, but none that appeared to go directly to supporting police. I did satisfy my rather small donation at their website https://nationalpolicesupportfund.com . He said his father has always leaned heavily Democratic, supported President Barack Obama and previously expressed strong anti-Trump views. Read Also: How Do You Know If The Police Are Investigating You. For example, in 2019, nearly 90% of the organizations income was spent on its programming. Up until the latest tax year when the groups appear to have changed how they categorize certain expenditures the pattern was largely the same from year to year: A small number of families received a couple thousand dollars apiece top employees of the union received more than $100,000 apiece and tens of millions went to telemarketers. Help us grow with a monthly contribution. Not authorized by any candidate or candidates committee.Paid for by National Police Support Fund, Inc. |Privacy & Refund Policy| Sitemap, Biggest Issues Facing Police Officers Today. We use the funds raised from these activities to support elected officials, candidates, and organizations whose goals and values align with our own. Our Police, Firefighters, and all First Responders do need our support. Consumer Protection. : r/Scams. If you want fundraisers to stop calling, ask them to put you on the charitys do not call list. Absolutely no legitimate law enforcement backed organization would stoop to this level of begging for money. POLICING THE MOST DANGEROUS CITY IN THE COUNTRY: What do Chicago's LEO's and citizens think? Don't Waste Your Money" is a registered trademark of Scripps Media, Inc. ("Scripps"). Only one replied directly: 90 percent went to fundraising, and 10 percent went to police support. This organization spends the vast majority of its donations on children. Quoting from its website, the Committee for Police Officers Defense is a 527 Committee designed to seek out radical prosecutors, judges and district attorneys. Another organization is named on the website as well The Police Officers Defense Coalition. But none of the money being raised actually goes to police departments, according to government records. The first thing I noticed was that I wasnt talking to live people; the answers all sounded scripted and recorded. "As Pennsylvanians look to support [] National Police Support Fund - Alexandria, VA. An elderly man in Trenton, Mi., received a dire letter that warned of the greatest threats to our public safety in our nations history. At the end of 2021, robocalls raising money for police groups were the highest-volume phone messages in most major U.S. markets, according to Nomorobo, a robocall-blocking company that works with AARP on fraud prevention. How 'Scam PACs' reap millions in the name of heart-tugging causes Another telemarketing employee reached by CNN in the Philippines confirmed this, saying he solicited money on behalf of the super PAC and the IUPA using audio recordings of someone who sounded like they were actually calling from America, and that most of the people they reached were elderly adding he felt it was a scam because they didnt realize what they were actually donating to. Being a generous person, she agreed to mail them $50. Donations have surged to a 'scam' political group that claims - CNN . The super PAC said on Facebook in September that it had placed this billboard in multiple locations throughout Wisconsin and that more would be coming. Especially after a tragedy or military-related event, fundraisers and causes show up on social media and people create crowdfunding campaigns to help those affected. Below are our favorite charities for law enforcement: National Police Foundation. Watch out for a new "police support fund" scam. Jessica Levinson, a Loyola Law School professor specializing in campaign finance and political corruption, said the fact that the super PAC had spent such a huge proportion of its contributions on its own expenses was jaw dropping and that it was equally concerning to hear that fundraisers were going after the elderly who they may consider easy marks.. They would have soundboards with prerecorded bits that would play and give the impression they were talking to a live person but in reality it was just someone playing bits off a soundboard, he said. National Police Support Fund representatives have been phoning potential donors in the St. Louis area over the past several weeks, including the wife of a retired police officer who said she . The National Police Support Fund : r/Scams - reddit It only means they do not seek to make a profit on their activities. Police charity imposters: Watch out for donation scam phone calls - WITI Its been a tough couple years for local law enforcement. They improvise and evolve to stay one step ahead of unsuspecting donors. Woman calls out scammer after hearing about it on the news One of Fotis websites solicits money for individuals who were guilty of a crime for doing their job the way they were trained to do it. The Arizona Fraternal Order of Police is a real organization, but protect yourself and ask questions when you receive calls like these. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. He initially solicited $95 and eventually said he would accept a $15 contribution as an offer of goodwill on my part. And soon, you say, sure, why not? Leaving politics aside for a minute, how do you know if those calls are legitimate? Required fields are marked *. CONSUMER ALERT: AG Shapiro Warns of Scams Related to Donations for Nonprofit however does not mean they are a charity. We found a website for them, but it gives very little information about the organization and their mission. These charities usually rake in a few thousand dollars and disappear. The source of the funding information was OpenSecrets, a database that tracks spending in U.S. politics run by the Center for Responsive Politics. In the first half of 2021, this organization reported donations of $4.3 million; expenditures were just under $4.2 million, the bulk of this going to overhead fundraising, lawyers, lead lists and so on. Just as you sit down to dinner, the phone rings and the caller asks for a donation. But their website and solicitations are designed to look and sound like Make a Wish. 25% off sitewide and 30% off select items. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. How much do I need to save for retirement? National Association of Police Athletics/Activities League. AARP Membership - LIMITED TIME FLASH SALE. I looked up one called Law Enforcement for a Safer America PAC, which seemed to be especially active, based on Nomorobos monitoring. Getting 3 to 5 calls a day from 315-410-0874 phone number. . Money donated to this group might be used for political purposes and will not be used for direct help to police or troopers, Fox wrote. The filings dont show how much the groups officials are directly benefiting from the political committee it created, and it is unclear why the group deemed it necessary to create so many different aliases to use for soliciting donations. Sara Kemerer of the . SCAM: National Police Support Fund donation. Read Also: Do You Have To Call The Police After An Accident, 2021 KnowYourPolice.net Learn more about how we use cookies in our cookie policy. That same tax year, the International Union of Police Associations gave 10 students pursuing advanced degrees in law enforcement an average of $2,500 apiece. On 10/29/20 a man called to get pledges for national police support fund. Also Check: How To File A Police Report For Id Theft, You May Like: How Do Police Deal With Homeless. Getting 3 to 5 calls a day from 315-410-0874 phone number. To find out more about these organizations, I probed the FEC website, where super PACs report their activity. But then she started to worry, especially when she couldn't find the group listed as a charity anywhere online. For example, in the tax year that ended March 2018, the Law Enforcement Officers Relief Fund gave 11 families an average of $6,545 apiece. highest-volume phone messages in most major U.S. markets, A caregiver discovers questionable charities are targeting her parents for their money, Join AARP for just $9 per year when you sign up for a 5-year term -43% off the standard annual rate, Access exclusive discounts, programs, & services, Double down with a FREE second membership. I later learned the organization is based in Fairfax, VA, and is a political action committee, or PAC. Has anyone else recently seen an uptick and calls from various police support organizations?

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