is national police support fund legit

Our grassroots organization was formed under Section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code, which allows us to engage in political activity. The recording says it is "Kenneth Allen from the National Police Support Fund" and they are asking for donations. Even if you like the idea, how do you know the call is legitimate? : r/Scams. Many of the other complaints to the FTC about the political committee and its related groups said fundraisers used spoofed numbers and violated the law by calling them even though they were on the Do Not Call list, while others said they had been misled or even harassed by fundraisers. All Rights Reserved. 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. by Michelle Diament, April 2008. 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). For the record, on their website, it never calls itself a charity or non . I should have been more aware that it sounded fishy and of course just saw the ScamPulse.com warning. The Better Business Bureau says if anyone calls or knocks asking you to help the police, the best thing you can do is ask them for information before you agree to donate. For example, in 2019, nearly 90% of the organizations income was spent on its programming. he transferred me to check my address. Hispanic Federation (New York City) Abandoned Children's Fund. You read that correctly. For more information, please see our Contributions made to National Police Support Fund are not tax-deductible. The FTC and charity regulators and law enforcement officials in every state have teamed up on more than 100 actions against dozens of fake charities, which have collected tens of millions of . He instead provided me with their national number. What they do: The National Association of Police Athletic/Activities League aims to minimize juvenile crime through outreach programs that pair officers with youth. A warning tonight about calls targeting people around the Tri-State asking them to help support the police. The National Police Support Fund is a legitimate organization that supports the interests of America's law enforcement officers. What should we investigate next? There have been calls circulating from a Police Officers Support Association asking for credit card donations. He seemed okay with it. 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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 raise awareness of Law Enforcement Officers who have died in the line of duty. The I.U.P.A. Pearl S Buck International's stated purpose is to provide opportunities to explore and appreciate other cultures, build better lives for children around the globe and promote the legacy of our founder by preserving and interpreting her National Historic Landmark home. Multiple voices could be heard in the background. Super PACs are able to raise unlimited amounts of money, which they can use to advocate for political candidates or causes. 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. To promote the prevention of juvenile crime and violence by building relationships among kids, cops and community through positive engagement. Founded in 1978, NAPO is the strongest unified . SCAM: National Police Support Fund donation. 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. 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. When I googled the fund, a BBB caution was the first result. I started rifling through my mail as he gave me the same exact spiel this time saying he represented United Police support fund. I told him that I had some questions for him before I would donate. Another charity that should come with a "donator, beware" sign is the Police Protection Fund. Key battles deserve tight alliances. 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. 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.. Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way. If it is a scam they are awfully convincing on the phone but are also rather forceful. He said his father has always leaned heavily Democratic, supported President Barack Obama and previously expressed strong anti-Trump views. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For example, a very well known and respected group is the Make a Wish Foundation. 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. If they are PACs, the fundraising effort is politically motivated and wont necessarily support San Diego-area officers or deputies or their families. I received a call today from someone from The National Police Support Fund, who claimed to be collecting money for a drive. I asked him where the money goes. 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. It was found that only 2.7% of donations to the relief fund actually went to the families of fallen officers. The National Police Association advocates Support the Police, and Back the Blue, because Blue Lives Matter. A donation of $10, $15 or $25 would help keep . And soon, you say, sure, why not? Theres just one week to go before the midterm election. Soft on Crime groups are targeting record numbers of individual law enforcement officers in law suits for police brutality. ThePAC, organized by Zachary Bass, spent 90% of its take on fundraising, campaign filings show. We support police officers who risk their lives daily protecting our communities. For anyone interested in supporting law enforcement, experts say, think local. 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. He was donating to anyone who asked him for money, he said. 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. According to an analysis by The Center for Public Integrity (CFPI), the names of some of these "scam PACs" are listed below. nationalpolice.org. 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. "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. Another telemarketing employee reached by CNN in the Philippines confirmed this, saying he solicited money on behalf of the super PAC and the IUPA using audio recordings of someone who sounded like they were actually calling from America, and that most of the people they reached were elderly adding he felt it was a scam because they didnt realize what they were actually donating to. Free online workshop! 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 scenario is all too familiar. I asked if the donation was tax-deductible and he said no but could not elaborate as to why that was. 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. I looked up one called Law Enforcement for a Safer America PAC, which seemed to be especially active, based on Nomorobos monitoring. Why does this matter? An IRS report was filed on July 26. Unable to verify the federal tax ID, redirected to a toll-free number. Follow John on Instagram @johnmataresemoney, For more consumer news and money saving advice, go to www.dontwasteyourmoney.com. 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. In the wake of tragedies large and small, they pop up like mushrooms after a rain. Sadly, it comes down to their choice of words during a pitch; its unlawful to misrepresent how the money will be spent. "So I really want to support the police for what they do.". For more information, please refer to the IRS definition of Political Organization. Sara Kemerer of the . It said callers were soliciting support for police officers but that the group was actually connected to a political action committee. Around 200 consumer complaints have also been made to state and federal regulators about the super PAC, its aliases and related groups. I recently took about a dozen of these police-support calls to hear the pitches. 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 . The union has recently claimed to have more than 100,000 members, but the IUPA has reported around 20,000 members in tax filings. 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. Dont send your money to a national group collecting for causes that may not always be clear. KENNER, LA (WVUE) - The Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office warns of a scam from the "American Police Officers Alliance" asking for donations for law enforcement. You are now leaving AARP.org and going to a website that is not operated by AARP. Here are a few ideas to help you give safely: Con artists refer to what they do as a hustle. Law enforcement has a tough enough job without having to put up with charlatans masquerading as heroes. And some are outright scams. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. The solution, the letter says, is clear: Give our law enforcement officers the crime prevention tools they need. Terms & conditions/privacy policy apply https://nationalpolicesupportfund.com/terms-of-service/, Contributions to the National Police Support Fund are not tax deductible. On each call, my questions about how donations got spent mostly went unanswered. Political organizations including both the Democratic and Republican parties are nonprofits. 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. I asked them to mail me a bill instead and they did , I called the phone number on the letter and did not get a respond so I decided to go to their website . 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. 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. Law Enforcement for a Safer America has raked in nearly $10 million in donations from January 2019 to June 2020 . 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. Below are a few tips for screening for legitimate charities. Tax filings also show that the union operates its own call center and that a company the union controls purchased a nearly 20,000 square foot office building valued at more than $2.5 million, where the union is now based. 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! Our officers deserve our respect and support, the Super PACs website reads. Many of these names could easily be confused with public charities, such as Autism Speaks, National Association of Police Organizations, or Veterans Assistance Foundation. "As Pennsylvanians look to support [] If you want fundraisers to stop calling, ask them to put you on the charitys do not call list. Have a problem?Send me an email, at jmatarese@wcpo.com or message me on Facebook. People are receiving phone scam calls asking for donations to help out local police departments or slain and wounded police offers. Below are our favorite charities for law enforcement: National Police Foundation. Learn how vehicle tech like blind spot warnings and drowsy driving alerts can help make driving safer. Read Also: How Do You Know If The Police Are Investigating You. This Florida-based union touts its federal lobbying efforts on behalf of local members. 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. The usual claiming they were legitimate. He was super pushy trying to get me to donate for 75,95, 105 dollars. The answer is that, in many cases, these arent charities at all. Please do your homework and avoid scams and misleading appeals for your hard-earned money.. 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. According to the complaint, DPSF conned people into donating more than $9.9 million. 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. 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. Instead, theyre independent, expenditure-only political action committees, or super PACs. One woman received a call from the . There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Fake joke to start out. The organization also has a Gold Seal of Transparency from GuideStar. The cause sounds worthy: Please support your local firefighters (or police officers), the caller implores. JW August is a San Diego-based broadcast and digital journalist. 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. Please let me know if there are any actions ScamPulse.com suggests I take other than ignore any future requests. I quickly identified over 70 super PACs with police or law enforcement in their names. The application also included the name Police Officers Defense Coalition, as well as the Police Officers Defense Alliance. This policy has been repudiated by a significant number of law enforcement leaders, whose experience has led them to conclude that it would make their communities unsafe. 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. Some tips for consumers: Listen carefully for the name of the organization. The National Police Support Fund is a national political organization organized under Section 527 of the IRS Tax Code. He could not answer. 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. 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. The vast majority of donations since 2019 were under $200, meaning the funds came from tens of thousands of donors. 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. We won't use your email for any other purpose, and you can opt out at any time via an unsubscribe link. A union receptionist also confirmed to CNN that the super PAC is run by the union, but union leaders did not respond to repeated calls, voicemails and emails that laid out the concerns from other police departments and donors and asked why so little of the $10 million raised went toward political activities. 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. At times, I thought they were maybe misguided, he said. January 11, 2019. Individual officers can also become members, according to its website. FEC filings show that of the group's minimal political spending, most has gone toward pro-Trump advertising such as billboards. This comes at a time when some community activists have been calling for "defunding" the police. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Together, the Law Enforcement Officers Relief Fund and the International Union of Police Associations, AFL-CIO, have spent about $82.3 million 77 percent of their operating expenditures on fundraising services from around 2011 to March 2018, according to a Public Integrity analysis of annual tax returns filed with the Internal Revenue . The call came to Get Gephardt to investigate who exactly it is that's making those calls. The NPAs immigration proposalAuthorizing local law enforcement officers to perform federal immigration law enforcement functionsis based on fear-mongering and a clear recipe for abuse and division. Just as you sit down to dinner, the phone rings and the caller asks for a donation. 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. Get a FREE subscription to AARP The Magazine. Ask for information, check sites like Charitynavigator.org and then if it all checks out, write that check. Is National police Support Fund legit? 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." Andy Cottam is among the many who received the call. He said he wanted a contribution for the police department and man and women who are fighting to protect us. Also Check: How To File A Police Report For Id Theft, You May Like: How Do Police Deal With Homeless. But almost no one was helped. It was raising money using four different police-oriented names (one association, two coalitions and one support fund). Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Read Also: Do You Have To Call The Police After An Accident, 2021 KnowYourPolice.net Not authorized by any candidate or . I said no i was told I would be sent a pledge form. Can the police officers count on you?. An employee who said he previously worked for two companies that raised money for Law Enforcement for a Safer America said that at his more recent job, callers were instructed not to disclose that they were calling on behalf of a super PAC. 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.. And Law Enforcement for a Safer America appears to be cashing in. If you get one of these calls, do not donate money just hang . The fundraisers connection to the charity. But none of the money being raised actually goes to police departments, according to government records. Only one replied directly: 90 percent went to fundraising, and 10 percent went to police support. 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. It also concerned him that so many prospects were elderly. The National Police Association files amicus brief opposing Oregon's attempt to criminalize law abiding gun owners. See the metrics below for more information. 2019 - The South African Department of Employment & Labour Disclaimer PAIA The filings dont show how much the groups officials are directly benefiting from the political committee it created, and it is unclear why the group deemed it necessary to create so many different aliases to use for soliciting donations. A charity is only one type of nonprofit. In this case, the pitch was for money for helping police officers in the continuing war against cops.. Years later, as the success of the . We found a website for them, but it gives very little information about the organization and their mission. But whats the truth. Here are the Top 7 Amazon scam calls. The BBB said days later, the New Jersey State Police photo had been removed from the site. Here are some things you can do to avoid donating to a fake charity: Pay attention to the charity's name. If you want to donate money for your police or fire department, send your contribution to the local sheriff or chiefs directly. Do police call for donations? We are just passing along the information if you get a suspicious call asking for money for police officers.. 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. 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. The Committee for Police Officers Defense, the telemarketers who called me, applied for tax exemption in California. The charitys affiliation with the government. 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.