Dover Fire and Rescue warns of possible scam

posted on: 1/10/2020

Dover Fire and Rescue is warning residents of a possible phone scam from the “Firefighter Support Organization” reportedly raising money on behalf of Dover Fire. Dover Fire and Rescue is not aware of any authorized fundraisers on its behalf at this time and urges residents to use caution.

Follow these tips from the Federal Trade Commission before making a donation:

Ask questions

• What’s the charity’s website, address, and mission?
• How much of my donation will go directly to programs that help police or firefighters, rather than to fundraising?
• How many police officers or firefighters does the charity help, and in what ways?
• If supporting the police or firefighters in your own community is important to you, ask how the charity spends money in your area.

Be careful how you pay

• If someone asks you to send them cash, wire money, donate by gift card, or leave money under your front door mat for pick up, don’t do it. That’s how scammers often ask you to pay. It’s safer to pay by credit card or check.
• If you’re donating online, check that the webpage where you enter your payment information has “https” in the web address. That means your information is transmitted securely.
• Legitimate charities will give you a receipt that shows the amount of your donation. Keep that record and check your credit card statements to make sure you’re only charged for the donation you wanted to make.

Watch out for scammers’ tricks

• They spoof caller ID to make their fundraising calls look like they’re from your local area code or from an organization you know.
• They pressure you into donating immediately before you have time to do any research. A legitimate charity will welcome your donation at any time.
• They claim that you’ll win a sweepstakes or get a prize if you donate, which is against the law.
• They thank you for a donation you don’t remember making. Scammers do that to trick you into thinking you actually made a pledge, and guilt you into sending them money.
• They suggest you’ll receive special treatment for donating. For example, no legitimate fundraiser would guarantee that you won’t be stopped for speeding if you have a police organization’s decal in your car window.

If you receive a phone call asking for a donation, please call Dover Police at 742-4646 or Dover Fire and Rescue at 516-6148 to verify the fundraisers claim to be collecting on its behalf.

Source: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/giving-organizations-help-police-and-firefighters.