Guilford Police Caution Residents About Scam

Shared by the Guilford Police Department:

Recently local businesses and residents have been receiving solicitations calls from Associations for Fire Fighters and Paramedics. Many of our generous business owners and residents have the ability to donate funds and have done so to this organization believing the money goes to our local agencies and resident victims.

Of those who have donated, they believed the organization represented itself as being associated with their local fire or police department and felt scammed after discovering that there was no affiliation. To be clear, the Guilford Fire Department is not affiliated with this organization in any way.

The local fire departments and local police departments do host annual fundraisers for their own benevolent organizations but solicit through the mail on official letterheads. No benevolent organization affiliated with a town agency solicits through the phone in CT.

The Association for Fire Fighters and Paramedics is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, but as you can see from the link below, it has been pursued by at least 4 states for deceptive fundraising tactics. The link below also outlines the total amount of money raised verses the total that is sent to victims in need.

It is important to do your research when making charitable donations. There are thousands of legitimate organizations, and with the internet at our fingertips, it is easy to take a few minutes to determine if that organization is who they say they are, and if they are utilizing your money in a way that assists the people it purports itself to be helping.

If you have questions about making a donation or if a particular fundraiser is legitimate for the fire or police department, please feel free to call the Guilford Fire Department or the Guilford Police Department directly.

If you feel that you have been mislead by deceptive practices by any fundraising program or organization, you can file a complaint with the Connecticut Office of the Attorney General, Public Charities Unit, 860-713-6170. There is also an online form to file complaints at:
http://www.sots.ct.gov/dcp/cwp/view.asp…|

Thank you for sharing and stay safe!