> wrote in message
oups.com...
>
> Nancy Young wrote:
> > "Damsel in dis Dress" > wrote in message
> > news > >
> > > We signed up with both the national and state lists. The only
> soliciting
> > > phone call we have received was from the local fire department.
> >
> > Carol, avoid that like the plague. Don't go there. If you want to
> > contribute, do it directly. It's usually a scam, and not by the
> > fire department.
>
>
> I second Nancy's caution about phone solicitations from the fire dept
> and add the police dept. I was called to contribute to the local
> police athletic league (or some other PD cause), and later discovered
> that the callers were professional fund raisers who took at least 85%
> of the donation as their fee. The first year they called, I thought
> the caller was a police officer donating a lot of personal time to the
> cause and made a big contribution. Some time later the newspaper ran an
> expose of the practice, apparently pretty widespread. The next year
> when I was called I confronted the caller. No more solicitations.
> Mac
>
That is a pretty common MO for shady phone solicitors. You can add to the
list the VFW, American Legion, and any charity connected with children. I
had people calling my office constantly wanting me to sponsor kids to go to
the circus. You know there is a problem when they offer to pick up the
check so you don't have to mail it.