Simple web searches can show that the 'charitable organization' calling either 1 . 2019 - The South African Department of Employment & Labour Disclaimer PAIA The website soliciting funds for Arpaio says, Liberals have targeted Sheriff Joe Arpaio with a multi-million dollar lawsuit because he was upholding the law of the land. Read Also: What Are The Steps To Becoming A Police Officer. I did not feel comfortable giving the information over the phone . I should have been more aware that it sounded fishy and of course just saw the ScamPulse.com warning. 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/. 25% off sitewide and 30% off select items. 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. 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. 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. Our grassroots organization was formed under Section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code, which allows us to engage in political activity. But none of the money being raised actually goes to police departments, according to government records. I was contacted in Wilton, CT by representatives of the National Police Support Fund. AARP Membership - LIMITED TIME FLASH SALE. 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.. "The words police and words firefighter are not trademarked," Kemerer explained, "so it is very easy for scammers to use those names and create fake organizations. Contributions made to National Police Support Fund are not tax-deductible. National Association of Police Athletic/Activities Leagues. @GunOwners. 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. 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. A different privacy policy and terms of service will apply. 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. 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. 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. It sounded like the solicitor was calling from a boiler room, where individuals dial from a list of working phone numbers. Sara Kemerer of the . It appears there are a number of nonprofits up and running under the apparent control of Fotis. Required fields are marked *. Unable to verify the federal tax ID, redirected to a toll-free number. Lots of different special interest groups are nonprofits, including some private businesses that pay their executives quite well. Follow John on Instagram @johnmataresemoney, For more consumer news and money saving advice, go to www.dontwasteyourmoney.com. The websites describe his career in law enforcement and his role as the creator of the police officers safety act legislation carried by former San Diego Congressman Randy Duke Cunningham. On its donate page, the NPA boasts of its work to preserve the American way of life and fight back against cop-haters. The National Police Support Fund is a national coalition committed to promoting the interests of America's. The funds raised during their 4-day long ride are donated directly to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. Recommended Reading: How Many Hours To Become A Police Officer, Read Also: What Education Do I Need To Be A Police Officer. Here are a few ideas to help you give safely: Con artists refer to what they do as a hustle. 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. 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 . 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. 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. 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). National Police Defense Foundation has earned a 81% for the Accountability & Finance beacon. National Association of Police Athletics/Activities League. The former employee, who asked to remain anonymous because of a nondisclosure agreement, said he remembered fundraising companies outsourcing some of the telemarketing overseas to locations like the Philippines, where they relied on recordings instead of live agents. They improvise and evolve to stay one step ahead of unsuspecting donors. This includes marketing and outreach to supporters and communities, grassroots political efforts, and digital marketing efforts. He also wanted to highlight law enforcements hard work across the country. (Santa Rosa, Calf.) The National Police Support Fund has a website and even a Facebook page to make them look legit, but hundreds of articles pop up from sources like the Better Business Bureau, The National Police Foundation and more warning people NOT to donate to this organization. American Association of State Troopers claims to support retired state troopers. This person spoke broken english and told me to donate using credit card. This was up from roughly $1 million raised by the group, which was founded in June 2018, in the last six months of the prior election cycle. 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. I also learned that they were sued in the biggest FTC case in history. Just as you sit down to dinner, the phone rings and the caller asks for a donation. Help us grow with a monthly contribution. Please reload the page and try again. The Police Officers Defense Alliance, for example, raised $3.2 million in 2020, and The American Police Officers Alliance raised $4.3 million. 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. United Police Fund / National Police Fund scam harassment. The first thing I noticed was that I wasnt talking to live people; the answers all sounded scripted and recorded. The union has recently claimed to have more than 100,000 members, but the IUPA has reported around 20,000 members in tax filings. I told him that I had some questions for him before I would donate. Clint Bates. Up to June 2020, only 2% of the groups spending went toward political activities mainly for advertisements supporting President Donald Trumps reelection, according to data filed with the FEC. Montana Attorney General Tim Fox posted on Facebook last year about a call he received from Roy on behalf of the National Coalition for Police and Troopers. and our I said I do not donate over the phone, he said I did not need to they would mail me a pledge kit. Stated that donations were not tax-deductible. 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. 4 talking about this. . Wendy Beckman got a call the other day from a man asking her to help retired police and firefighters. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. Political organizations including both the Democratic and Republican parties are nonprofits. As an example, he cites former Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Maricopa County in Arizona. 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.. Privacy Policy. Please note that many legitimate local (and unaffiliated) police foundations and organizations may solicit donations from local communities via telephone and mail. Fundraising calls are allowed even if your number is on the National Do Not Call Registry. 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. 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! They do disclose, however, that of the nearly $10 million raised, the super PAC gave more money back to the union roughly $350,000 for office, operational and overhead expenses than the $173,500 it spent on political activities between January 2019 and June 2020. nationalpolice.org. The charitys programs focus primarily on education, mentorship, and athletic activities that empower youth. I told him that there is no such thing as a National Police Trust Fund. He paused for a few seconds and said "okay, bye" and hung up the phone. Operators who are so susprised it's scam. I again was transferred to another person who wanted my credit card info and stated due to covid they wanted to decrease handling and credit cards was the best way to donate. Wow! Some tips for consumers: Listen carefully for the name of the organization. Whether the website is from the same sector as nationalpolicesupportfund.com or not, you can report it to the Federal Trade Commission. It was raising money using four different police-oriented names (one "association," two "coalitions" and one "support fund"). Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription toAARP The Magazine. The Arizona Fraternal Order of Police is a real organization, but protect yourself and ask questions when you receive calls like these. During the pandemic, a plethora of fraudulent websites came out like a plague. The man on the other end of the phone is asking for money for the protection of police officers. Did you encounter any technical issues? 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. National Police Support Fund is a national political organization organized under Section 527 of the IRS Tax Code. Email Blake Ellis and Melanie Hicken. How a donation will be used, or how much of the donation actually goes to the charitys programs. I told him I did not have any money to donate at the moment. "My brother was a police officer, my cousin was a cop and one of my sons is a cop," she said. 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. Eagerly he asked if I was comfortable with that amount. 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. Asking for donations to the National Police Support Fund. 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. And soon, you say, sure, why not? Phony Firefighters Scam. But as I learned, these callers are masters at evading any such disclosure. If you want fundraisers to stop calling, ask them to put you on the charitys do not call list. These callers typically use language that suggests they are charities raising money directly for local police. He could not answer. One very common hustle is the name game. Getting 3 to 5 calls a day from 315-410-0874 phone number. California resident Kellie Van Westen, 69, said she has family members who are law enforcement officers and that she believed the roughly $1,400 she donated since 2019 would help bolster local police budgets and pay for equipment to keep them safe.. Gotten calls like this? 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. 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). 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. I got a call from them saying it was the time of year to start up the donation drive, and the phone operator tries his best to kay in with a guilt trip to get you to "donate." Even if you like the idea, how do you know the call is legitimate? Charity hustles work the same way. 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. This organization spends the vast majority of its donations on children. 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. Get a FREE subscription to AARP The Magazine. Claire Reiss, 79, said she thought the more than $2,000 she donated would go to injured police and their families, but that she stopped giving away her money when the calls just wouldnt stop. "But I'm sure there are a lot that are not on the level, so you kind of have to be cautious," she said. I started rifling through my mail as he gave me the same exact spiel this time saying he represented United Police support fund. Promoting divisive rhetoric is detrimental to the public safety mission that requires any genuine law enforcement organization to be accountable to its constituents. A donation of $10, $15 or $25 would help keep . 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. 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 . 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. But the groups file financial disclosures with federal regulators under only a handful of names. 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. On 10/29/20 a man called to get pledges for national police support fund. 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. In fact, as Ive previously , supporting law enforcement and supporting reform movements such as Black Lives Matter are not mutually exclusive. Simple: less scrutiny. Getting 3 to 5 calls a day from 315-410-0874 phone number. I recently took about a dozen of these police-support calls to hear the pitches. 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. 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. The recording says it is "Kenneth Allen from the National Police Support Fund" and they are asking for donations. Can the police officers count on you?. 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. In a nationwide, federal-state crackdown on fraudulent telemarketers claiming to help police, firefighters, and veterans, the Federal Trade Commission, together with 61 Attorneys General, Secretaries of State, and other law enforcers of 49 states and the District of Columbia, today announced Operation False Charity. I did satisfy my rather small donation at their website https://nationalpolicesupportfund.com . Only one replied directly: 90 percent went to fundraising, and 10 percent went to police support. Theres just one week to go before the midterm election. A: The National Police Support Fund is a grassroots nonprofit political organization founded in 2017 under Section 527 of the IRS tax code. A special program within the International Union of Police Associations, AFL-CIO.Speaking With One Voice, Moving With One Purpose. But whats the truth. I feel they abuse their use of the name to maybe convey a false sense to the community about who they are and what they really do with the money.. Multiple attempted calls from one number. For more information, please refer to the IRS definition of Political Organization. : r/Scams. Write the names of the shady businesses in the comments section below, too. The Committee for Police Officers Defense, the telemarketers who called me, applied for tax exemption in California. The National Police Support Fund is a legitimate organization that supports the interests of America's law enforcement officers. By choosing the . She said she was told the group was a charity benefiting police and troopers. 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 . In researching the organizations, I discovered numerous similar-sounding names for PACs raising funds for police officers. The I.U.P.A. What they do: The National Association of Police Athletic/Activities League aims to minimize juvenile crime through outreach programs that pair officers with youth. 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. For the record, on their website, it never calls itself a charity or non . So, the next time you get this call, hang up. Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Three other IUPA executives earned more than $100,000 apiece during fiscal 2017-2018. . Learn how vehicle tech like blind spot warnings and drowsy driving alerts can help make driving safer. It was found that only 2.7% of donations to the relief fund actually went to the families of fallen officers. While there are no requirements dictating the percentage of money that must go toward political activities, campaign finance expert Rob Pyers has dubbed the group a Scam PAC because of its high operating expenses and negligible political spending. Don't Waste Your Money" is a registered trademark of Scripps Media, Inc. ("Scripps"). These callers typically use language that suggests they are charities raising money directly for local police. Hispanic Federation (New York City) Abandoned Children's Fund. Police Protection Fund. All Rights Reserved. Below are our favorite charities for law enforcement: National Police Foundation. For more information, please see our With tales of woe and heartbreaking images of children or helpless animals, they beg for assistance. 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.. See the metrics below for more information. 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. The caller said he was phoning on behalf of the Committee for Police Officers Defense. Type of a scam Charity. But their website and solicitations are designed to look and sound like Make a Wish. BREAKING The House just voted to block Biden's woke ESG rule, which would let Wall Street use your retirement savings to fund left-wing political causes. Why does this matter? In two words, its not. Simple: less scrutiny. Type of a scam Charity. 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. "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. Post has been removed or is no longer public. The organization also participates in advocacy work to emphasize some of the dangers law enforcement officers face, and the sacrifices they make to protect society. 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. As our conversation continued, the caller would lower the amount of funding he was requesting. You can find more information about "who is the National Police Support . Concerns of Police Survivors. He said he wanted a contribution for the police department and man and women who are fighting to protect us. January 11, 2019. I asked if the donation was tax-deductible and he said no but could not elaborate as to why that was. Another charity that should come with a "donator, beware" sign is the Police Protection Fund. Individual officers can also become members, according to its website. The latter is the name of the PAC I found earlier that had raised $3.2 million in contributions. Many legitimate charities support local firefighters and police, active duty military, and veterans, or their families. Gotten calls like this? 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. Today, the organization has over 300 chapters across the country working to create positive change in local communities. 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. 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. These charities usually rake in a few thousand dollars and disappear. As a wife of a police officer this is absolutely disgusting! she stated. Do police call for donations? 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. This all looks very peculiar, said Richard Briffault, a professor at Columbia Law School who specializes in campaign finance. 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. "As Pennsylvanians look to support [] 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. Cookie Notice PPF has been sued by regulatory agencies in at least six states, including California, Ohio, Illinois and Missouri, and was fined $463,000. Each organization says it is spending money for police officers being abused and unfairly targeted. This beacon provides an assessment of a charity's financial health (financial efficiency, sustainability, and trustworthiness) and its commitment to governance practices and policies. What can we learn from the latest Coinbase cyberattack? Hope Cancer Fund The Tampa Bay Times and The Center for Investigative Reporting broke the charities up into five main categories: children, cancer, police/law enforcement, veterans, fire and other. They count on local press coverage and a quick website. Around 200 consumer complaints have also been made to state and federal regulators about the super PAC, its aliases and related groups. . 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. We support police officers who risk their lives daily protecting our communities. I looked up one called Law Enforcement for a Safer America PAC, which seemed to be especially active, based on Nomorobos monitoring.