Joe,
Lately my household has been getting calls from some organization identifying themselves as MD Chiefs Of Police - it even shows up as Md COP on my caller ID.
They try to get you to donate for some crime prevention cause that somehow aids law enforcement in child abduction cases. During the caller's sales pitch I wondered why the Md State Police needed my money in fighting crime as the government funded their work.
I did some online research and found it wasn't necessarily illegal, just a colossol waste - it's not even nonprofit.
One comment said this:
" I am a Maryland State Police officer operating out of the Frederick barracks and I wanted to add that these people collecting money are a FOR PROFIT company. Meaning they are in the business of making money. We police officers DO NOT see the money. The way they get around looking like they sponsor OUR organization (FOP) is by making a small donation themselves to the FOP once a year (usually 1-6% of the proceeds they collect from YOU, the Maryland citizens). "
Just a heads up as they've been pestering me lately.
Bob Pinto
DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
9 comments:
they are harrassing us constantly. i say harrass because we have told them not interested. i have family in law enforcement and he will tell me if they are doing any local fundraising. besides, the callers are rude and kind of imposing and every night i get the call, they let it ring until the machine picks up and then they hang up. i tried to tell them once im on the do not call list to see if that would help but apparently not.
Mr. Pinto is correct, and the quote is accurate. When fielding a question about this locally I always recommend that anyone wanting to donate to do so locally. There are numerous local organizations including the FOP, Tri-County Lodge of the Maryland Trooper's Association, Concerns of Police Survivors, The Edward Plank Scholarship Fund, the Chad Spicer Heroes Scholarship and numerous others that you can donate to, and it is just as deductible, and you know where the money is going. This phone solicitation has always been a pet peeve of mine, and I have routinely complained that it was not necessary, but it still exists.
Just my two cents worth!
A local Trooper
I received a similar phone call awhile back except the man tried to convince me that i was the owner of some bar (I'm not!) He knew my name and my brothers phone #. I googled the number he called frm & found it was a scam. I also called the police in Frederick to notify them of the situation.
Here's how it works, at least with the FOP. Local FOP Lodges have to request from the state lodge, permission to solicit funds in their area. If they don't, the state lodge feels free to solicit in the local's area. They hire these "money machine" folks that call, and pay you a visit to collect your "donations" and the state lodge receives a small portion of the $. I'm not sure if they have to respect "Do Not Call" lists either. Just tell 'em no! And hang up. Our local lodge (Worcester Lodge 50) has stayed away from this fund raising tactic preferring to have fund raising events when our members can spend time with the citizens. We recently hosted an event at Ocean Downs and made a profit while having fun with the entertainment.
Bottom line, if you want to help out local organizations, do it directly, not through some nagging money machine. All of your donation will then go where it belongs, not to some phone bank in Baltimore.
Craig Theobald
Ironshire
I donate enough through taxes.
Now that the states are eliminating the 5 to 10 mph cushion for speeding, i aint giving them shit.
Let them pay for there own parties.
I got a call like this several months ago and I told them I would think about it. Then here came a letter stating I had agreed to donate a certain amount of money. The letter came from Des Moines!! Yet they told me the money would go to the local law enforcement agencies. I ignored it and after a few more letters, they gave up.
That is the OLDEST scam going, but people still fall for it. It's a shame people do, honest, humble people who, unfortunately, don't know any better. Trust me, they won't be reading about it here because they don't have computers either.
Better yet, they won't call back if you verify your address, agree to donate the smallest amount and hang up. when they send you the mailer, throw it away. After a few letters, they will stop calling and stop the letters.
I received a call today (March 12th, 2011) from the MD COP, as it said on my Caller ID. The man on the phone stated that he was part of the Maryland Chief of Police and asked of donations that fund a crime prevention program in the nearby area. I said I was busy right then and he said it was "nothing urgent, but we will call back later."
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