Another phone scam

[csziggy]

Just got a call from what appeared to be a local number. Robocaller claims to be from AMERICAN POLICE OFFICERS ALLIANCE, INC. NomoRobo identifies it as a charity.

Well, guess what - it is NOT a legitimate charity. NomoRobo gives the first clue with a transcript of a call:

Hello is guy there. Well perhaps you could help me this is really American police officers alliance I just wanted to call out today to remind everyone they're kicking off their new campaign for the year and I'm sure you heard it's been an awful time for the officers so they're going to be supporting efforts to like lawmakers to advocate a 5 for those who protect our nation's citizens if we were to sing your support on the loping the mail to the officers count on you to return a one time donation for the Dr.
https://www.nomorobo.com/lookup/850-400-8751

Then I found this article:

Group spoofing local phone numbers and posing as police charity
By John P. Muldoon -
January 14, 2020

The public has been urged to be cautious after a group named the American Police Officers Alliance (APOA) became active in town again.

Representing itself as a “non-profit,” it is spoofing local phone numbers to request donations on behalf of police and then asking for credit card details over the phone.

“At best, it is a money-making endeavor for personal or political activism, and at worst a straight-up scam,” Police Chief Paul Nikas said in an email.

The local calls come from a man named “Roy,” and the phone numbers on caller ID look like they come from Ipswich.

More, including an analysis of the "charity" designation: http://thelocalne.ws/2020/01/14/group-spoofing-local-phone-numbers-and-posing-as-police-charity/

[samnsara]

1. yeah ive been getting those. usually a gruff male voice. My grandfather was Chief of Police in...

..Oklahoma and my mom was in the reserves so i dont want to be rude to these folks in case they are legit ( but Im still NOT donating!).....so I talk in a sweet voice like Im listening then I turn into absent minded gramma and go 'Well Thank you for calling thats very nice what you are doing!'...... then i hang up mid sentence like i stupidly cut myself off then i block their sorry asses.

[marble falls]

4. no woman ever shot a man as he was doing the dishes, but she will not let me load the dishwasher ...

... or unload the grocery cart. Or wash my own clothes.

[JohnnyRingo]

2. They called me last week.

I thought it was legit, but it's not something I'd donate to anyway.
Tired of these scumbags telescammers. There has to be a law. I get Senior Benefits calls 3 times a week, every week. Usually from a spoofed local number.

[whistler162]

5. Two rules

1 - If they call you for money or a service it is a scam.
2 - see rule 1

[marble falls]

3. I interupt all of them and I ask one question: would my theoretical donation be tax deductable? ...

... the answer is always "no." That's when I thank them and hang up.

[csziggy]

8. CORRECTION it is NOT a 501 C3 company (non-profit)

Last edited Thu May 27, 2021, 02:32 PM - Edit history (1)

But it really is not a legitimate charity. See the article I linked for good coverage on the group. 90% of the money they get in goes to their expenses, so even if they were a charity, they are very, very bad at it.

I've gotten so I don't donate to anyone who calls me. I will ask for their website and go there if they are a cause I want to support. Plus, before I give out my credit card info, I can research the group, go to the sites that review charities, and see how efficient they are at actually getting money to whatever cause they claim to support.

Last, I will NOT give anything other than grief to any group claiming to support vets, police, or firefighters. If it is an actual human calling, I tell them that I would rather pay more in taxes to support those good people than give money to a group that is going to skim a large percentage off the top.

[demigoddess]

11. if I answer such a call, I say, "We never donate over the phone"

but these days with the phone machine, we just never answer.

[csziggy]

13. Too many of our doctors personnel call from phoens with no caller ID

And they don't leave messages. One I've been seeing over the last few weeks with followup on a previous operation, CAT scan, bloodwork, etc. called Tuesday morning, let it ring only twice so it ddin't trigger the message machine. (They also only do appointment reminders via text - when all I have given them is a land line.)

If I had not recognized the phone number (with caller ID "unidentified&quot and called them back I wouldn't have gotten the report on the CAT scan that means I get to have yet another operation. Or that the main reason for the scan showed good news - my kidney cancer has not recurred.

And that is just one of the doctors I have to deal with, plus numerous other professional offices, some of which are not any more forthcoming than the doctor's office.

[dixiegrrrrl]

6. Thanks for the heads up.

I've been getting a lot of Amazon purchase scam calls, where a woman's voice says my account has a recent $3,000 or so purchase, and to call back a number if this is a mistake.

Basically, we are down to never answering our house phone unless we know who it is.

[BSdetect]

7. There is a very similar "Firefighters" or Volunteer firefighters call

[Treefrog]

9. Obviously not English speakers.

That’d be the first clue.

[csziggy]

10. What's odd is the voice on the message sound very American

But the script is really bad.

[coolcat_riley]

12. Scam.

I think they just spoofed their number so that it appeared as a local area code. I read quite many reports filed by people at websites like http://phonebook.ai about similar charity scams since few months ago. We need to always spread the word to family about these scumbags.