Many residents reported receiving solicitation phone calls from police fundraising groups that are not associated with the Athens Police Department, according to a news release from APD.
However, as of Jan. 7, Athens Police Chief Tom Pyle said his department has not received any reports of these calls since the release was sent out on Dec. 31.
The groups, identified as either the “Police Protection Fund” or the “Dublin Police Fund,” have no association with Athens Police.
Pyle said a simple web search of the “Police Protection Fund” should provide ample information for community members to make informed decisions.
“I was very careful about not calling it a scam because the Police Protection Fund is an actual charity according to what I found researching on the Internet,” Pyle said.
Athens County Sheriff Pat Kelly took to his facebook page to alert residents that he has confirmed similar calls throughout the county and advised anyone who receives one of these calls to report it to the authorities.
“I just wanted people to understand, do their own research, and understand what they’re getting into if they decided to donate,” Pyle said. “Those phone calls in our community weren’t being done on our behalf and if they were claiming that, and I’m not sure that they were, I wanted (residents) to know from the source that isn’t accurate information.”
as299810@ohiou.edu
@akarl_smith
This article appeared in print under the headline "Recent phone calls a scam"
