Volunteer Firefighters Warn Ross Residents of Phony Telemarketing Effort

The , station 247, recently issued a warning on its website about a phony telemarketing effort in to raise money for local volunteer firefighters.

We have again received reports from our residents that they are receiving telephone solicitations from telemarketers claiming they support firefighters or fire victims. Please know that while these telemarketers might be soliciting donations for organizations that are not a scam or fraud and might possibly have some charitable purpose, any contributions to them do not help our fire company or any other fire company in Ross Township.

The Berkeley Hills Fire Company does not solicit for funds by phone nor do we hire any telemarketing firm to do so on our behalf. To our knowledge, no volunteer fire company in Ross Township does. If a telemarketer tells you your donation will help your local fire company, they are lying.

The most recent case is from telemarketers claiming to be associated with Firefighters Charitable Foundation or FFCF. According to the Pennsylvania Department of State, FFCF is based in Farmington, NY. Calls from this organization or their representatives might show on your caller-id as "FFCF" and from one of the following phone numbers:

• (215) 383-5595
• (215) 383-5665
• (215) 383-5666
• (215) 383-5676

Reports from people who have received these calls are that the telemarketer was aggressive and stated that the donation benefits "your local fire company."

According to Charity Navigator, an organization that ranks charities by how much of their donations actually go to the stated charitable purpose, FFCF is ranked very low. The Pennsylvania Department of State reports that less than 10% of the funds raised go to actual charitable purposes with more than 90% going to fundraising costs and administrative expenses.

We have also received reports from our residents that telemarketers claiming to represent union firefighters or Pennsylvania firefighters are also calling Ross Township residents soliciting donations. Regardless of their reason for soliciting funds, none of the funds they solicit benefit Ross Township fire companies. Reports are that calls have come from the phone number:

• (412) 307-3878

We recommend that you hang up on telemarketers that call you on the phone to solicit donations for firefighting related purposes.

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