If it is a scam they are awfully convincing on the phone but are also rather forceful. I did satisfy my rather small donation at their website https://nationalpolicesupportfund.com . For more information, please refer to the IRS definition of Political Organization. The call came to Get Gephardt to investigate who exactly it is that's making those calls. I told him I did not have any money to donate at the moment. Read Also: How Do You Know If The Police Are Investigating You. "My brother was a police officer, my cousin was a cop and one of my sons is a cop," she said. It appears there are a number of nonprofits up and running under the apparent control of Fotis. Only one replied directly: 90 percent went to fundraising, and 10 percent went to police support. I told him that there is no such thing as a National Police Trust Fund. Why does this matter? By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. 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. He said he ultimately left because he didnt feel like he was supporting the charitable efforts he had hoped to seeing a shift toward fundraising for PACs instead of charities and observing how little of the money went to the causes callers were touting. 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. 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.. The Wilmington Police Department has no association with this organization and we have never even heard of them, stated a May release from the department. Law enforcement has a tough enough job without having to put up with charlatans masquerading as heroes. The application also included the name Police Officers Defense Coalition, as well as the Police Officers Defense Alliance. Have a problem?Send me an email, at jmatarese@wcpo.com or message me on Facebook. 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). Each organization says it is spending money for police officers being abused and unfairly targeted. A warning tonight about calls targeting people around the Tri-State asking them to help support the police. 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. You can find more information about "who is the National Police Support . So have we all. It only means they do not seek to make a profit on their activities. She said she was told the group was a charity benefiting police and troopers. You read that correctly. American Association of State Troopers claims to support retired state troopers. I received a call today from someone from The National Police Support Fund, who claimed to be collecting money for a drive. For more information, please see our He of course provided a non-reassuring answer with no defence when the jig was up, and ended the call. One hit wonders seeking to cash in on the tragedy of the day from floods and fires to missing children and more. He seemed okay with it. In fact, former employees of these types of fundraisers have testified about how they used soundboard technology to play prerecorded messages as responses, in part so they could talk to several donors at once. 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. 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. The National Police Association is a 501(C)3 non-profit organization, IRS NTEE classification code B01, Alliance/Advocacy Organizations, within the Educational . Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much Just want you notified that they are calling on area code 203 #s in CT now. Trade groups like those that represent the fast food or soft drink producers operate as nonprofits. It said callers were soliciting support for police officers but that the group was actually connected to a political action committee. That is equivalent to 2.7 percent of the $2.7 million the organization raised from donors that year, according to its federal tax return. 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. He never would have given money to any group if he knew that some of that money was going to pro-Trump campaign ads, said Busse. Please let me know if there are any actions ScamPulse.com suggests I take other than ignore any future requests. Just hang up. Trump billboards along a desert stretch of highway near the border of California and Arizona were paid for by a small business that received a federal loan. Contributions made to National Police Support Fund are not tax-deductible. Law Enforcement for a Safer America has raked in nearly $10 million in donations from January 2019 to June 2020 . I received a call today from someone from The National Police Support Fund, who claimed to be collecting money for a drive. Being a generous person, she agreed to mail them $50. 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. Eagerly he asked if I was comfortable with that amount. 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. National Police Defense Foundation has earned a 81% for the Accountability & Finance beacon. How a donation will be used, or how much of the donation actually goes to the charitys programs. The Police and Troopers Relief Foundation (PTRF) is a special program within the Law Enforcement Officers Relief Fund (LEORF), established by the International Union of Police Associations. We use the funds raised from these activities to support elected officials, candidates, and organizations whose goals and values align with our own. I told him that I had some questions for him before I would donate. Consumer Protection. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Hispanic Federation (New York City) Abandoned Children's Fund. Ways to contribute: You can contribute to the Police Unity Tour by donating through their website. He said he wanted a contribution for the police department and man and women who are fighting to protect us. The Committee for Police Officers Defense, the telemarketers who called me, applied for tax exemption in California. According to the complaint, DPSF conned people into donating more than $9.9 million. @GunOwners. Ive become suspicious after reading what they had to say . How much do I need to save for retirement? Terms & conditions/privacy policy apply https://nationalpolicesupportfund.com/terms-of-service/, Contributions to the National Police Support Fund are not tax deductible. . Our officers deserve our respect and support, the Super PACs website reads. Simple: less scrutiny. Just change the state to your state and verify the charity is listed with your state attorney general's office, or another regulatory office (each state has different requirements). Below are our favorite charities for law enforcement: National Police Foundation. If you are still not sure if your money is really going to the cause, call your local police or fire department and ask how you can donate to them. There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. It spent $103,700 on behalf of House candidates about 3% of the total, and it has contributed nothing directly to veterans groups. It sounded like the solicitor was calling from a boiler room, where individuals dial from a list of working phone numbers. Can the police officers count on you?. When I googled the fund, a BBB caution was the first result. National Police Support Fund is a grassroots political organization that is committed to aligning the interests and needs of police officers with the public's issues and concerns within the national political process. A donation of $10, $15 or $25 would help keep . If you have been contacted via telephone and asked to make donations to the National Police Foundation in Washington, D.C., this is a scam. The union is run by a retired police detective, and it is affiliated with the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), the countrys biggest federation of unions, which did not respond to requests for comment. 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. As a wife of a police officer this is absolutely disgusting! she stated. It also transferred $30,000 to another pro-police super PAC that the union operates, based on the officers listed on its filings. The first thing I noticed was that I wasnt talking to live people; the answers all sounded scripted and recorded. Many of these names could easily be confused with public charities, such as Autism Speaks, National Association of Police Organizations, or Veterans Assistance Foundation. Join AARP for just $9 per yearwhen you sign up for a 5-year term. Stated that donations were not tax-deductible. 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. . UPDATE 2020-10-29: Another new call from 585-206-3552 with a similar pre-recorded voice auto-responder identifying as 'Jeff Scott' with the National Police Support Fund. January 11, 2019. Registration with any of these state agencies does not imply endorsement, approval or recommendation by any state. : r/Scams. I looked up one called Law Enforcement for a Safer America PAC, which seemed to be especially active, based on Nomorobos monitoring. ThePAC, organized by Zachary Bass, spent 90% of its take on fundraising, campaign filings show. 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 . The group's videos have received few views, but money has been pouring in. With this in mind, the midterm election saw a new partnership between us, the National Police Support Fund, and the. 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. As an example, he cites former Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County in Arizona. BIRMINGHAM, Alabama - From unmarked strip-mall offices in small-town Alabama, the calls go out across the United States, meant to talk people into giving . Woman suspicious after calls to help police. 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. The National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO) is a coalition of police unions and associations from across the United States and was organized for the purpose of advancing the interests of America's law enforcement officers through legislative advocacy, political action and education. Instead, theyre independent, expenditure-only political action committees, or super PACs. Type of a scam Charity. National Police Support Fund is a national political organization organized under Section 527 of the IRS Tax Code. 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. Learn about the latest anti-police movement, Download our 2022 police ballot measures analysis, Download our 2022 law enforcement support guide, Virginia Election Ad by National Police Support Fund, Pro-Police Organizations Worked Together to Get Out the Vote & Boosts Conservative Turnout in NoVa, https://nationalpolicesupportfund.com/terms-of-service/. On its donate page, the NPA boasts of its work to preserve the American way of life and fight back against cop-haters. It's always a variation of the above name. Even if you like the idea, how do you know the call is legitimate? Recommended Reading: How Many Hours To Become A Police Officer, Read Also: What Education Do I Need To Be A Police Officer. Do You Have To Call The Police After An Accident, How Long Does It Take To Get Into Police Academy, How Many People Were Killed By Police In 2020, Where To File A Police Report For Car Accident. To promote the prevention of juvenile crime and violence by building relationships among kids, cops and community through positive engagement. I also learned that they were sued in the biggest FTC case in history. This includes marketing and outreach to supporters and communities, grassroots political efforts, and digital marketing efforts. Filed Jan. 29, 2020, 3:45 p.m. GMT. 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. Here is the BBB caution: https://www.bbb.org/stlouis/news-events/bbb-warnings/2017/national-police-support-fund/, https://www.bbb.org/stlouis/news-events/bbb-warnings/2017/national-police-support-fund/. This person spoke broken english and told me to donate using credit card. The pop-up charity business is usually local, occasionally regional and rarely national. Not authorized by any candidate or . 4. Getting 3 to 5 calls a day from 315-410-0874 phone number. Law Enforcement for a Safer America has raked in nearly $10 million in donations from January 2019 to June 2020, according to data reported to the Federal Election Commission. Videos on Law Enforcement for a Safer America's website show cities in flames and say that officers have been injured during what the group describes as riots. The National Police Support Fund is a national political organization organized under Section 527 of the IRS Tax Code. The organization began as a service program providing mentorship and outreach activities to youth as a way to combat juvenile crime. The BBB said days later, the New Jersey State Police photo had been removed from the site. Multiple attempted calls from one number. Simple: less scrutiny. Now, the last thing I want to do is discourage you from giving to causes you care about, like supporting police. 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. He instead provided me with their national number. Many charities that help first responders like police officers and firefighters veterans, and active duty military, or their families, pay fundraisers to call donors or potential donors. About $1.8 million went toward the salaries of union officials, including $199,700 for Cabral, the president. These callers typically use language that suggests they are charities raising money directly for local police. Getting 3 to 5 calls a day from 315-410-0874 phone number. Gotten calls like this? 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. He could not answer. The case has not yet been resolved. 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. Has anyone else recently seen an uptick and calls from various police support organizations? 4 talking about this. You May Like: Do You Need A Degree To Become A Police Officer. 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. Soft on Crime groups are targeting record numbers of individual law enforcement officers in law suits for police brutality. "The National Police Support Fund is neither a 501(c)3 nor a 501(c)4 organization, but rather a political organization organized under Section 527 of the IRS Tax Code. 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! Super PACs are able to raise unlimited amounts of money, which they can use to advocate for political candidates or causes. The charitys programs focus primarily on education, mentorship, and athletic activities that empower youth. Police Protection Fund. 2. When I asked which state this drive was for, the caller could not answer and instead said it is for a national charity. All Rights Reserved. They count on local press coverage and a quick website. So, the next time you get this call, hang up. I asked if the donation was tax-deductible and he said no but could not elaborate as to why that was. We do not support nor do we condone this group, the post stated. We support police officers who risk their lives daily protecting our communities. Wow! . Im calling on behalf of the National Save the Police Fund,* the voice on the phone told me. As our conversation continued, the caller would lower the amount of funding he was requesting. Required fields are marked *. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. He said his father has always leaned heavily Democratic, supported President Barack Obama and previously expressed strong anti-Trump views. It was raising money using four different police-oriented names (one association, two coalitions and one support fund). 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. United Police Fund / National Police Fund scam harassment. 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. 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. As the list of high-profile police shootings has grown in recent years and calls to defund the police have gotten louder, tensions between protesters and those who have rushed to the support of police some of whom have become part of a Blue Lives Matter movement have been building. AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that empowers people to choose how they live as they age. The National Association of Police Athletic/Activities League was founded in 1940 and is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. He paused for a few seconds and said "okay, bye" and hung up the phone. The recording says it is "Kenneth Allen from the National Police Support Fund" and they are asking for donations. The calls, which often target elderly donors, come from a variety of generic and similar-sounding aliases: The Police Officers Support Association, the National Emergency Responders Coalition and the National Coalition for Police & Troopers. . Also Check: Do You Have To Pay For A Police Report. National Police Support Fund is a grassroots political organization that is committed to aligning the interests and needs of police officers with the publics issues and concerns within the national political process. Help us grow with a monthly contribution. While some donors believe they are donating to . I asked him where the money goes. That means of a $35 donation, no more than $3.50 goes to their stated cause, highest-volume phone messages in most major U.S. markets. Whoops! Each organization says it is spending money for police officers being abused and unfairly targeted. 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. 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. Multiple voices could be heard in the background. 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. He gave a range of donations to be made . This Florida-based union touts its federal lobbying efforts on behalf of local members. Recommended Reading: How To Become A Desk Police Officer, Also Check: Can Police Help Me Unlock My Car. The charitys affiliation with the government. Groups like Antifa and Black Lives Matter have inspired people to assassinate cops on the street. Our free newsletter is delivered at 8 a.m. daily. And cops are facing increasing disrespect on the streets as criminals have become emboldened by the wave of anti-cop rhetoric in the news media and by many politicians. The rule of law is being eroded in our communities, and we need true Americans to stand up and join voices in support of the public servants who keep us safe. Unable to verify the federal tax ID, redirected to a toll-free number. He could not answer. And that is likely the point. As a result, he had a positive outlook on military and all law enforcement officers, Busse said, but he never expressed any particular interest in supporting the police through financial donations.. At least seven local police departments from around the country and a state attorney general have issued scam alerts and other notices about these fundraising efforts, warning residents in their communities as recently as this summer that they have no affiliation with this group. I told him that I had some questions for him before I would donate. Im calling on behalf of the National Save the Police Fund,* the voice on the phone told me. As Smarter Giving notes, what is actually supports is the bank balances of its chief executives. What they do: The National Association of Police Athletic/Activities League aims to minimize juvenile crime through outreach programs that pair officers with youth. The National Police Association files amicus brief opposing Oregon's attempt to criminalize law abiding gun owners. Dont send your money to a national group collecting for causes that may not always be clear. Wendy is fine with that and will sleep better now. 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. As an example, he cites former Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County in Arizona. In researching the organizations, I discovered numerous similar-sounding names for PACs raising funds for police officers. The International Union of Police Associations and its related organizations go by more than a dozen different names, including the Police Officers Support Association and the National Emergency Responders Coalition. We don't engage in telemarketing. 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.
Fake Or Fortune Constable Sold,
Lebron James Finals Stats,
At Risk Youth Programs In Tennessee,
Pga Tour Radio Announcers,
Fort Bragg Soldier Support Center Id Card Appointment,
Articles I