By Lauren Gregory
Chattanooga Times Free Press (Tennessee)
Copyright 2006 Chattanooga Publishing Company
Unconfirmed reports of possible telephone solicitation fraud in Catoosa County, Ga., have prompted Chattanooga’s firefighters union to warn people about how to prevent it from happening to them.
Local 820 of the Chattanooga Fire Fighters Association is conducting a legitimate, telephone-based fundraising campaign, said Jeff Eldridge, its president. However, copycats at times use the organization’s name to take people’s money, he said.
“It does happen, unfortunately,” he said.
Local 820 raises money to pay for fire prevention education in schools and smoke detector giveaways, to assist injured police and fire personnel and to provide other community aid in Tennessee and North Georgia. So far this year, the organization has given away $37,870, Mr. Eldridge said.
The local union holds two fundraisers annually and has hired the professional soliciting company FireCo to put on an event scheduled for December. The company is in charge of soliciting donations for that event, which will be collected through November, according to Bill Held, FireCo manager.
The company calls individuals and businesses to gauge interest, Mr. Eldridge said, then sends donation forms via mail to those who say they want to give. FireCo is compensated with half the amount of money raised.
Catoosa County business owners have reported receiving calls recently asking for money to help build a “burn unit” in Ringgold, Ga., Mr. Eldridge said, but no such project is in the works.
Firefighters are not able to verify whether those calls came from fraudsters, he said, though the association believes they originated from legitimate solicitors who simply used “some wrong words.”
Callers “have a script they have to go by,” Mr. Eldridge said. “They’re dealt with severely if they don’t follow those guidelines.”
The guidelines include introducing themselves clearly and naming the organization for which they are calling, he said. They do not include any mention of credit card numbers.
“If we call and ask people for money, we’re never asking for credit card information,” Mr. Eldridge said. “What we preach is don’t do anything over the telephone.”
Mr. Held advises people to make sure callers identify themselves and to ask questions if anything seems suspicious rather than immediately declining to donate.
“This is a legitimate organization trying to do good in our community,” he said.
Those with concerns are encouraged to call Mr. Held at 899-4990 or the Fire Fighters Association at 499-3836.
DETECTING FRAUD
* Listen for the caller to identify himself or herself clearly.
* Always ask questions about how the donation process works.
* Do not let anyone ask for a credit card number over the telephone.
Source: Bill Held, FireCo manager