Dover Fire and Rescue warns of phone scam

posted on 2/17/2022

Dover Fire and Rescue is warning residents of a phone scam where callers are claiming to raise money on Dover Fire and Rescue's behalf.

Neither Dover Fire and Rescue nor Dover Police have authorized fundraisers on its behalf and urges residents to use caution. They remind residents and businesses that their affiliated unions and charities never solicit donations by phone.

"If you receive any phone calls requesting donations to Dover Fire and Rescue, it is a scam," said Interim Fire Chief Michael McShane. "Please do not contribute to any charity that you are not 100% aware of its legitimacy and its intent."

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) urges caution when receiving calls for donations for first responders, active-duty military, veterans and their families.

"Many legitimate charities support local firefighters and police, active duty military, and veterans, or their families," says the FTC. "But other charities lie about what they do with donations or how much they spend on programs. And some are outright scams."

Follow these FTC tips before making any 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 fundraising?
• How many police officers or firefighters do the charity help, and in what ways?
• If supporting the police or firefighters in your 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 ensure 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 an organization you know.
• They pressure you into donating 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.

Find more information about these types of scams from the FTC at https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/giving-organizations-help-police-and-firefighters.

If you receive a phone call asking for a donation, please call Dover Police at 603-742-4646 or Dover Fire and Rescue at 603-516-6148 to verify the fundraisers claim to be collecting on its behalf.