is national police support fund legit

Here are the Top 7 Amazon scam calls. I've asked them repeatedly to stop calling this typically results in additional calls back to back from different numbers. 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. When I googled the fund, a BBB caution was the first result. Ways to contribute: You can contribute to the Police Unity Tour by donating through their website. I did not feel comfortable giving the information over the phone . According to the complaint, DPSF conned people into donating more than $9.9 million. 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. Kids Wish Network, however, spends only 3 cents of every dollar collected on kids. Our Police, Firefighters, and all First Responders do need our support. 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. If you get one of these calls, do not donate money just hang . The answer is that, in many cases, these arent charities at all. Do police call for donations? 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. All Rights Reserved. It was found that only 2.7% of donations to the relief fund actually went to the families of fallen officers. 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. National Police Support Fund is dedicated to providing a united voice for true Americans who support our nation's law enforcement officers. "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. People are receiving phone scam calls asking for donations to help out local police departments or slain and wounded police offers. The Police Officers Defense Alliance, for example, raised $3.2 million in 2020, and The American Police Officers Alliance raised $4.3 million. AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that empowers people to choose how they live as they age. 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. 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. Fake joke to start out. (Santa Rosa, Calf.) You are now leaving AARP.org and going to a website that is not operated by AARP. There have been calls circulating from a Police Officers Support Association asking for credit card donations. Why does this matter? Our mission is to promote the interests of our nation's police officers within our nation's political and public policy process. 2019 - The South African Department of Employment & Labour Disclaimer PAIA 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. Learn more about how we use cookies in our cookie policy. Once it was blocked through my service provider, an additional phone number began to call my home multiple times a day. Stated that donations were not tax-deductible. A special program within the International Union of Police Associations, AFL-CIO.Speaking With One Voice, Moving With One Purpose. 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! He instead provided me with their national number. The application also included the name Police Officers Defense Coalition, as well as the Police Officers Defense Alliance. The case has not yet been resolved. See the metrics below for more information. She had noticed the term PAC on receipts she received in the mail but thought that meant the charities were working together and had a pact to support the police cause she believed in. 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. "So I really want to support the police for what they do.". "My brother was a police officer, my cousin was a cop and one of my sons is a cop," she said. 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. He paused for a few seconds and said "okay, bye" and hung up the phone. The organization began as a service program providing mentorship and outreach activities to youth as a way to combat juvenile crime. To raise awareness of Law Enforcement Officers who have died in the line of duty. 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. Bass, who set up several other super PACs, declined to comment. 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. 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). Have a problem?Send me an email, at jmatarese@wcpo.com or message me on Facebook. Consumer Protection. Leaving politics aside for a minute, how do you know if those calls are legitimate? 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. If they are PACs, the fundraising effort is politically motivated and wont necessarily support San Diego-area officers or deputies or their families. 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. Concerns of Police Survivors. If it is a scam they are awfully convincing on the phone but are also rather forceful. Hispanic Federation (New York City) Abandoned Children's Fund. They are the tragi-charities. Unless you want your money to go toward lawsuits , take my advice and find another charity to support although preferably one on another list to this one. That way, you avoid all of . Only one replied directly: 90 percent went to fundraising, and 10 percent went to police support. What can we learn from the latest Coinbase cyberattack? Its made up of series of regular steps timed to the beat of the music that can be improvised as needed. 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). Law Enforcement for a Safer America has raked in nearly $10 million in donations from January 2019 to June 2020 . Free online workshop! Please do your homework and avoid scams and misleading appeals for your hard-earned money.. 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. The Arizona Fraternal Order of Police is a real organization, but protect yourself and ask questions when you receive calls like these. Many donors say they believed they were supporting a charity that helps local officers. A: The National Police Support Fund is a grassroots nonprofit political organization founded in 2017 under Section 527 of the IRS tax code. The usual claiming they were legitimate. 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. 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. 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. The latter is the name of the PAC I found earlier that had raised $3.2 million in contributions. Also Check: How To File A Police Report For Id Theft, You May Like: How Do Police Deal With Homeless. Our grassroots organization was formed under Section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code, which allows us to engage in political activity. A warning tonight about a phone and mail scam asking for donations. As Smarter Giving notes, what is actually supports is the bank balances of its chief executives. National Police Support Fund - Alexandria, VA. An elderly man in Trenton, Mi., received a dire letter that warned of the greatest threats to our public safety in our nations history. 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. 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. Terms & conditions/privacy policy apply https://nationalpolicesupportfund.com/terms-of-service/, Contributions to the National Police Support Fund are not tax deductible. It appears there are a number of nonprofits up and running under the apparent control of Fotis. I told him I did not have any money to donate at the moment. and our Wow! With the generous support of readers like you, Times of San Diego publishes timely and accurate news coverage for a better-informed community. On its donate page, the NPA boasts of its work to preserve the American way of life and fight back against cop-haters. Multiple attempted calls from one number. He said his father served in the Navy for nearly two decades and was always proud of his service. Police Protection Fund. nationalpolice.org. PPF has been sued by regulatory agencies in at least six states, including California, Ohio, Illinois and Missouri, and was fined $463,000. Continuously redirected to the toll free number provided which cut out each time it was listed. 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. This comes at a time when some community activists have been calling for defunding the police. Whether the website is from the same sector as nationalpolicesupportfund.com or not, you can report it to the Federal Trade Commission. 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. Being a generous person, she agreed to mail them $50. Around 200 consumer complaints have also been made to state and federal regulators about the super PAC, its aliases and related groups. 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. Government documents show that the founding treasurer is currently an executive at the International Union of Police Associations. A charity is only one type of nonprofit. And Law Enforcement for a Safer America appears to be cashing in. 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. Founded in 1978, NAPO is the strongest unified . The recording says it is "Kenneth Allen from the National Police Support Fund" and they are asking for donations. Enter address: This website, like most media sites, uses small files called cookies to anonymously customize the advertising that you see. 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. 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. Wendy is fine with that and will sleep better now. The vast majority of donations since 2019 were under $200, meaning the funds came from tens of thousands of donors. This section is used to influence public opinion in support of the interests of . again. I confronted him that if they were legit, why it was that they are labeled as a scam operation. 2. 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. It also transferred $30,000 to another pro-police super PAC that the union operates, based on the officers listed on its filings. 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. Use a search engine to look for " your state + charity list ". Did you encounter any technical issues? Today, the organization has over 300 chapters across the country working to create positive change in local communities. 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/. Nonprofit however does not mean they are a charity. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. 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. 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. 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. Our movement is comprised of tens of thousands of Americans from all walks of life who are joined together by their common respect for the rule of law and united in their support for the police officers who put their lives on the line every day in their communities. Read Also: How Do You Know If The Police Are Investigating You. I later learned the organization is based in Fairfax, VA, and is a political action committee, or PAC. Published How to report a scammer? Join AARP for just $9 per yearwhen you sign up for a 5-year term. Soft on Crime groups are targeting record numbers of individual law enforcement officers in law suits for police brutality. In researching the organizations, I discovered numerous similar-sounding names for PACs raising funds for police officers. It also concerned him that so many prospects were elderly. United Police Fund / National Police Fund scam harassment. Read Also: Do You Have To Call The Police After An Accident, 2021 KnowYourPolice.net Phony Firefighters Scam. The National Police Association is a 501(C)3 non-profit organization, IRS NTEE classification code B01, Alliance/Advocacy Organizations, within the Educational . . In this case, the pitch was for money for helping police officers in the continuing war against cops.. And it's very easy to catch the eye of someone.". 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. For more information, please refer to the IRS definition of Political Organization. 7:35 AM EDT, Fri October 16, 2020. In a complaint to the Federal Trade Commission, another woman, whose name was redacted, said she received multiple calls from the National Coalition for Police and Troopers, one of the super PACs various aliases.