: r/Scams. This group purports on various websites that donations are being used to back candidates who will stand up for police and introduce legislation to help officers and provide benefits to families who have lost loved ones in the line of duty. I also learned that they were sued in the biggest FTC case in history. He gave a range of donations to be made . The call came to Get Gephardt to investigate who exactly it is that's making those calls. As an example, he cites former Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County in Arizona. I should have been more aware that it sounded fishy and of course just saw the ScamPulse.com warning. Fake joke to start out. Gotten calls like this? Msg&data rates may apply. AiThority Interview with Lori Anne, Director of Product Development & Management at Verizon, Branded Caller ID: The Pros And Cons In The Battle Against Phone Scams, A New Scam Is Making the Rounds Just in Time for Tax Season, Smishing: The new year is here and so are new scams. The result: a rise in super PACs that use sympathetic-sounding causes primarily to line their own pockets (the FEC has called this subset scam PACs). It sounded like the solicitor was calling from a boiler room, where individuals dial from a list of working phone numbers. Virginia incorporation papers show James Fotis is president of the Alliance and changed the name to the Defense Coalition. 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. Discovery Company. Simple: less scrutiny. And Law Enforcement for a Safer America appears to be cashing in. The recording says it is "Kenneth Allen from the National Police Support Fund" and they are asking for donations. Free online workshop! In about 7 years (through March 2018), the union and relief fund spent a total of approximately $102.3 million, of which $82.3 million went towards fundraising. Are the money-gathering techniques these scam PACs use illegal? 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. Years later, as the success of the . 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. In telemarketing calls, DPSF fundraisers told people that donations would be used for grants to disabled officers and to the families of officers slain in the line of duty. And that is likely the point. In about 7 years (through March 2018), the union and relief fund spent a total of approximately $102.3 million, of which $82.3 million went towards fundraising. It appears their lack of transparency regarding where the money goes was the reason for the BBB caution. According to an analysis by The Center for Public Integrity (CFPI), the names of some of these "scam PACs" are listed below. Another law enforcement charity that faced disciplinary action was the American Association of State Troopers, which was fined a total of $321,115 in three states - Georgia, Mississippi and Pennsylvania. Law Enforcement for a Safer America does not disclose on its website who is running the super PAC, but public filings reveal that leaders of one of the countrys largest police unions are pulling the strings. "As Pennsylvanians look to support [] She said she was told the group was a charity benefiting police and troopers. 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. In the wake of tragedies large and small, they pop up like mushrooms after a rain. Entire local police unions, which negotiate collective bargaining agreements for their members, can choose to affiliate with the group. Police Protection Fund. Many of the other complaints to the FTC about the political committee and its related groups said fundraisers used spoofed numbers and violated the law by calling them even though they were on the Do Not Call list, while others said they had been misled or even harassed by fundraisers. He said that although it is more expensive for super PACs to solicit small donations which is what this one is doing spending so much on operations and so little on political activities is unusual. Filed Jan. 29, 2020, 3:45 p.m. GMT. Your email address will not be published. With tales of woe and heartbreaking images of children or helpless animals, they beg for assistance. Email us: watchdog@cnn.com. 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 . Wendy Beckman got a call the other day from a man asking her to help retired police and firefighters. The answer is that, in many cases, these arent charities at all. Founded in 1978, NAPO is the strongest unified . Sara Kemerer of the Cincinnati BBB says you should look them up at the bureau's website, www.bbb.org, or at Charity Navigator.org, or Guidestar.org. If you want fundraisers to stop calling, ask them to put you on the charitys do not call list. These charities usually rake in a few thousand dollars and disappear. Write the names of the shady businesses in the comments section below, too. I asked for the number so I could call back after I made my decision and he gave me the 1-866 number and said to call with any questions and thanked me for my time. AARP Membership - LIMITED TIME FLASH SALE. Use a search engine to look for " your state + charity list ". He was donating to anyone who asked him for money, he said. I looked up one called Law Enforcement for a Safer America PAC, which seemed to be especially active, based on Nomorobos monitoring. Only one replied directly: 90 percent went to fundraising, and 10 percent went to police support. 4 talking about this. Im calling on behalf of the National Save the Police Fund,* the voice on the phone told me. Contact us: contact@knowyourpolice.net, SCAM: National Police Support Fund donation, How To Get Insurance Information From Police Report, Is National Police Association Legitimate, How Many Years Of College To Become A Police Officer, Do You Need A Degree To Become A Police Officer, What Are The Steps To Becoming A Police Officer, How Many Hours To Become A Police Officer, What Education Do I Need To Be A Police Officer, How Do You Know If The Police Are Investigating You. A 5 On Your Side viewer got one of those calls recently, asking him to support the National Police and Troopers Association.But before saying yes, he called us to ask if it was legit. Multiple voices could be heard in the background. Oh, god, she said upon being contacted by CNN and learning how the money was spent, Im supposed to be smart, but boy was I a dope.. I said no i was told I would be sent a pledge form. I came across ScamPulse.com warning people about donating to the NPSF . Do police call for donations? nationalpolice.org. 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 . National Police Support Fund is a national political organization organized under Section 527 of the IRS Tax Code. As we stated earlier, these 50 charities account for almost $1 Billion in donations. Woman suspicious after calls to help police. This beacon provides an assessment of a charity's financial health (financial efficiency, sustainability, and trustworthiness) and its commitment to governance practices and policies. But the groups file financial disclosures with federal regulators under only a handful of names. The scenario is all too familiar. 2. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. The usual claiming they were legitimate. Super PACs generally have far fewer state-level reporting requirements and are regulated by the Federal Election Commission (FEC), which has fewer enforcement options than the IRS. . Each organization says it is spending money for police officers being abused and unfairly targeted. A charity is only one type of nonprofit. 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. Eagerly he asked if I was comfortable with that amount. Some telemarketers who claim to be raising money for causes like homeless veterans and cancer victims work for political action committees , not charities, and keep much of the money they raise. . The Better Business Bureau conducted an investigation and found . People are receiving phone scam calls asking for donations to help out local police departments or slain and wounded police offers. Simple: less scrutiny. proudly complies with state regulations and required disclosures. When I asked which state this drive was for, the caller could not answer and instead said it is for a national charity. In this case, the pitch was for money for helping police officers in the continuing war against cops.. To raise awareness of Law Enforcement Officers who have died in the line of duty. Around 200 consumer complaints have also been made to state and federal regulators about the super PAC, its aliases and related groups. As Smarter Giving notes, what is actually supports is the bank balances of its chief executives. It appears there are a number of nonprofits up and running under the apparent control of Fotis. Whoops! Three other IUPA executives earned more than $100,000 apiece during fiscal 2017-2018. Contributions made to National Police Support Fund are not tax-deductible. The funds raised during their 4-day long ride are donated directly to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. Andy Cottam is among the many who received the call. It appears there are a number of nonprofits up and running under the apparent control of Fotis. Three calls to his Virginia office for comment have gone unanswered as well as an email sent directly to his address listed in his filings with California. Local organizations that raise money on behalf of San Diego law enforcement include: Star/Pal for San Diego Police, which provides educational and recreational services for inner-city youth, and the San Diego County Deputy Sheriffs Foundation, which provides support services for sheriffs personnel and families. Being a generous person, she agreed to mail them $50. I told him I did not have any money to donate at the moment. President Trump pardoned the sheriff even after the Department of Justice described Arpaio as being responsible for the worst case of racial profiling in U.S. history. Stated that donations were not tax-deductible. I have asked 5 times to be removed from their call list, but they are still constantly calling, at this point it is harassment and it needs to STOP! These are Americas heroes. Videos on its site show cities in flames and say that officers have been injured during what the group describes as riots presumably referring to recent Black Lives Matter protests in the wake of the police killing of George Floyd. The National Police Support Fund is a national political organization organized under Section 527 of the IRS Tax Code. Of those who gave more than $200, which are required to be disclosed to the federal government, roughly 80% were retirees, according to an analysis of the data. What can we learn from the latest Coinbase cyberattack? I asked him where the money goes. ThePAC, organized by Zachary Bass, spent 90% of its take on fundraising, campaign filings show. . Follow John on Instagram @johnmataresemoney, For more consumer news and money saving advice, go to www.dontwasteyourmoney.com. Phony Firefighters Scam. A donation of $10, $15 or $25 would help keep . He said his father served in the Navy for nearly two decades and was always proud of his service. . 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. By choosing the . On 11/4 another local call came it was the same man! According to the complaint, DPSF conned people into donating more than $9.9 million. Can the police officers count on you?. 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. Ways to contribute: You can contribute to the Police Unity Tour by donating through their website. It wasnt the usual automated call, and hearing a human voice kept me on the line. Gotten calls like this? Across the industry, calls are computer-generated before being routed to telemarketers, something Politicause and TPFE employees said allowed their firms to maximize the number of calls and to pester people repeatedly. For more information, please refer to the IRS definition of Political Organization. Super PACs generally have far fewer state-level reporting requirements and are regulated by the Federal Election Commission (FEC), which has fewer enforcement options than the IRS. The fund is a real nonprofit organization, but it is a political group created "primarily to influence the selection, nomination, election, appointment or defeat of candidates to federal, state or local public office. But none of the money being raised actually goes to police departments, according to government records. generic photos, there is no real content validating that they do anything to actually support the police. "Being that it was a recording right off the bat . Each organization says it is spending money for police officers being abused and unfairly targeted. ', Fleeing Suspect Arrested on Trolley After Man Stabbed Multiple Times Downtown, San Diego Neo-Nazi Robert Wilson Suspected in Anne Frank House Incident, Sierra Snowpack Grows to Nearly Double Normal, Easing California Drought, Theatre Week Becomes Theatre Month Enjoy Deals As Low As $15 All Through March, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. One hit wonders seeking to cash in on the tragedy of the day from floods and fires to missing children and more. The robot voice saying the call would be recorded for record purposes sounded so real but it was just him. The matter now heads to the Senate, where the disapproval resolution may pass if every Republican plus rebellious Democratic Senator Joe Manchin (W.Va.) support the effort. Getting 3 to 5 calls a day from 315-410-0874 phone number. Many legitimate charities support local firefighters and police, active duty military, and veterans, or their families. The first thing I noticed was that I wasnt talking to live people; the answers all sounded scripted and recorded. Dont send your money to a national group collecting for causes that may not always be clear. The Police Officers Defense Alliance, for example, raised $3.2 million in 2020, and The American Police Officers Alliance raised $4.3 million. They count on local press coverage and a quick website. And soon, you say, sure, why not? CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. Just hang up. and our On each call, my questions about how donations got spent mostly went unanswered. Promoting divisive rhetoric is detrimental to the public safety mission that requires any genuine law enforcement organization to be accountable to its constituents. 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. A warning tonight about calls targeting people around the Tri-State asking them to help support the police. The Arizona Fraternal Order of Police is a real organization, but protect yourself and ask questions when you receive calls like these. We are just passing along the information if you get a suspicious call asking for money for police officers.. Alexandria, VA. National Police Support Fund and United Police Fund came together this November to urge Northern Virginians to get out the vote in, National Police Support Fund, Inc.Office/Mailing Address:2800 Eisenhower Drive Suite 220Alexandria, VA 22314, Donation Processing Center:PO Box 26248Alexandria, VA 22313-2648, Phone: (571) 364-6520Email: info@nationalpolicesupportfund.com, By providing your phone number, you are consenting to receive calls and SMS/MMS msgs, including autodialed and automated calls and texts using prerecorded voice, to that number from the National Police Support Fund. We support police officers who risk their lives daily protecting our communities. It also concerned him that so many prospects were elderly. FEC regulations state that political committees can only deposit a contribution into their account if that money came from a solicitation which expressly states that the contribution will be used in connection with a Federal election or the solicitation discloses that contributions are subject to federal election law. If you want to donate money for your police or fire department, send your contribution to the local sheriff or chiefs directly. Today, the organization has over 300 chapters across the country working to create positive change in local communities. Other policies that the NPA promotes include aggressive stop-and-frisk tactics and broken windows policingstrategies that have resulted in unconstitutional practices that undermine civil liberties. These Are the 9 Best Charities for Law Enforcement in 2023. Read Also: What Are The Steps To Becoming A Police Officer. The National Police Association advocates Support the Police, and Back the Blue, because Blue Lives Matter. AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that empowers people to choose how they live as they age. The mailing scam, which was identified in a CNN article last fall and had already targeted residents in eastern states including Massachusetts and Wisconsin, asks recipients of the letter to donate $20 to an organization misleadingly calling itself the "Police Officers Support Association, PAC" according to Grass Valley Police Sgt. On its donate page, the NPA boasts of its work to preserve the American way of life and fight back against cop-haters. The answer is that, in many cases, these arent charities at all. Sadly, it comes down to their choice of words during a pitch; its unlawful to misrepresent how the money will be spent. He could not answer. You read that correctly. When a charitys fundraiser calls to ask you for a donation, they have to follow some rules: A: We engage in activities aimed at supporting our law enforcement officers and standing up for their rights and values throughout the political process. But then she started to worry, especially when she couldn't find the group listed as a charity anywhere online. "I got burned a couple of years ago when I found out another charity I was contributing to was not a real charity, so I thought I should probably check this one out," Beckman said. Now, the last thing I want to do is discourage you from giving to causes you care about, like supporting police. Just want you notified that they are calling on area code 203 #s in CT now. We do not support nor do we condone this group, the post stated. 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. The National Police Association is a 501(C)3 non-profit organization, IRS NTEE classification code B01, Alliance/Advocacy Organizations, within the Educational . If you require additional information, then call us 1-800-247-4872 or email us at: [email protected] Your contribution is very much appreciated and although the International Union of Police Association is recognized as a non-profit by the IRS, due to its particular status (501 (c) 5), donations are not tax .
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