is national police support fund legit

See the metrics below for more information. AARP Membership LIMITED TIME FLASH SALE. . The man on the other end of the phone is asking for money for the protection of police officers. The organization also has a Gold Seal of Transparency from GuideStar. The fund is the third in a series of outrageous attempts by founders David Dierks and Phil LeConte to extort money from generous Americans under the pretext of donations to the nation's police forces. The Arizona Fraternal Order of Police is a real organization, but protect yourself and ask questions when you receive calls like these. Here are the Top 7 Amazon scam calls. So we can Verify, National Coalition for Police and Troopers is a site owned by a PAC, isn't a charitable organization. Learn how vehicle tech like blind spot warnings and drowsy driving alerts can help make driving safer. It appears there are a number of nonprofits up and running under the apparent control of Fotis. You May Like: Do You Need A Degree To Become A Police Officer. When a solicitor for one of these groups calls a prospective donor the pitch will include the truthful statement that they are a nonprofit organization. I was contacted in Wilton, CT by representatives of the National Police Support Fund. The rest of the money has gone primarily to the firms helping it solicit donations including nearly $3 million in payments to one telemarketing company sued by the government last month for allegedly using deceptive tactics. The application also included the name Police Officers Defense Coalition, as well as the Police Officers Defense Alliance. It turns out Police and Fire Retirees of Ohio is a legitimate non profit lobbying group, though it is not a charity under IRS rules. Gotten calls like this? He gave a range of donations to be made . Police Unity Tour. again. We strive to engage the public through political grassroots activity to support political interests that promote officer's interests. 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. Another useful fact: Organizations that file reports with the FEC have to list a treasurer. There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Just as you sit down to dinner, the phone rings and the caller asks for a donation. One hit wonders seeking to cash in on the tragedy of the day from floods and fires to missing children and more. I did satisfy my rather small donation at their website https://nationalpolicesupportfund.com . So have we all. Tax records show the Fotis organization that phoned me raised $75,000 in 2021, up from $50,000 the year before. Required fields are marked *. The cause sounds worthy: Please support your local firefighters (or police officers), the caller implores. Your email address will not be published. But almost no one was helped. 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. 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. I've asked them repeatedly to stop calling this typically results in additional calls back to back from different numbers. I confronted him that if they were legit, why it was that they are labeled as a scam operation. While some donors believe they are donating to . Theres just one week to go before the midterm election. Read our full report on the organization here, https://bit.ly/3xMbldo. 4. Gas station secured small business bailout money, then paid for Trump billboards, After learning from CNN that his 92-year-old father had given $1,200 to the super PAC, Curt Busse said that the donations were made as his fathers cognitive skills declined, making him a prime target for telemarketers. 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). document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. 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. Virginia incorporation papers show James Fotis is president of the Alliance and changed the name to the Defense Coalition. 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. If you want fundraisers to stop calling, ask them to put you on the charitys do not call list. The union has previously come under fire for hiring allegedly deceptive telemarketers and costly fundraising efforts that benefited its own organization and a police charity it operates. Among the other warnings: The Miami Township Police in Ohio issued a scam alert in June referencing calls circulating from a Police Officers Support Association asking for credit card donations. The Reading Police Department in Massachusetts described the Police Officers Support Association as a scam charity last year. 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 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 . A warning tonight about a phone and mail scam asking for donations. Many of these names could easily be confused with public charities, such as Autism Speaks, National Association of Police Organizations, or Veterans Assistance Foundation. The recording says it is "Kenneth Allen from the National Police Support Fund" and they are asking for donations. The fundraisers connection to the charity. Only one replied directly: 90 percent went to fundraising, and 10 percent went to police support. The website soliciting funds for Arpaio says, Liberals have targeted Sheriff Joe Arpaio with a multi-million dollar lawsuit (that could even result in jail time) because he was upholding the law of the land.. Ways to contribute: You can contribute to the Police Unity Tour by donating through their website. The calls asking for donations come from aliases like the Police Officers Support Association and The National Coalition for Police & Troopers. He could not answer. Please let me know if there are any actions ScamPulse.com suggests I take other than ignore any future requests. That way, you avoid all of . 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. 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. . On 11/4 another local call came it was the same man! On 12/30/2018, I received a call from (862) 333-2411 from a man with a deep voice and a southern accent, who identified himself as Dan, if I would like to make a donation to the National Police Trust Fund. Registration with any of these state agencies does not imply endorsement, approval or recommendation by any state. Super PACs are able to raise unlimited amounts of money, which they can use to advocate for political candidates or causes. Nonprofit however does not mean they are a charity. It was found that only 2.7% of donations to the relief fund actually went to the families of fallen officers. Recently, the District Attorney's office was made aware of calls from nearby area codes claiming to support local officers injured in the line of duty. 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! 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. I asked him if the organization supports Donald Trump. But whats the truth. The vast majority of donations since 2019 were under $200, meaning the funds came from tens of thousands of donors. Ask for information, check sites like Charitynavigator.org and then if it all checks out, write that check. I later learned the organization is based in Fairfax, VA, and is a political action committee, or PAC. 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. "As Pennsylvanians look to support [] 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. The groups videos have received few views, but money has been pouring in. 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. I quickly identified over 70 super PACs with police or law enforcement in their names. Charity hustles work the same way. We use the funds raised from these activities to support elected officials, candidates, and organizations whose goals and values align with our own. The Better Business Bureau is warning about an organization that calls itself the National Police Support Fund which, despite soliciting contributions from St. Louis-area donors, isn't . Please note that many legitimate local (and unaffiliated) police foundations and organizations may solicit donations from local communities via telephone and mail. 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. A: A 527 political organization is a party committee, association, fund, or other organization organized and operated primarily for the purpose of directly or indirectly accepting contributions or making expenditures for an exempt function. Asking for donations to the National Police Support Fund. It spent $103,700 on behalf of House candidates about 3% of the total, and it has contributed nothing directly to veterans groups. Join AARP for just $9 per yearwhen you sign up for a 5-year term. 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 Greenfield, Massachusetts, police department warned about the group last year as well. Here are some things you can do to avoid donating to a fake charity: Pay attention to the charity's name.

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