By Regine Labossiere
Hartford Courant
HARTFORD, Conn. — The calls begin with representatives saying they’re with a fire service charity asking residents if they would like to donate money. The calls usually end when a resident asks too many questions about the organization.
The pattern is alarming enough to residents and fire officials across the state that the attorney general’s office is investigating. Questions include whether the California-based Association for Firefighters and Paramedics Inc. is a legitimate charity, whether the callers actually work for the charity and whether the association and the callers are con artists.
Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said the association is registered in the state. Multiple calls to the toll-free phone number on the association’s website provided an automated message apologizing for being unavailable.
“The question is whether the calls are actually being made legitimately on behalf of the organization and why the callers evidently are unwilling to answer questions,” Blumenthal said.
The association’s fundraising methods have been under fire nationwide. The nonprofit watchdog Charity Navigator has given the association a rating of zero stars. According to Charity Navigator’s website, the association earned almost $4 million in the fiscal year ending December 2006, but only $80,530 went to burn centers and other programs. The rest of the revenue went to administrative and fundraising costs.
Ernest and Elsie Herrick received two calls to their Mansfield home, but the callers apparently didn’t realize the Herricks are a fire-service family. Ernest Herrick is a former assistant fire chief in town and is a past president of the Connecticut State Firefighters Association. When his wife talked to the first caller and asked if she could return the call after doing some research, the caller said the organization doesn’t release its phone numbers, Ernest Herrick said. Then, when he received a call and started asking questions, the caller hung up.
“If it wasn’t a scam and they were legitimate, why wouldn’t the name come up on the caller ID? And when you start questioning them, they hang up on you. If they’re reputable, why would they hang up?” Herrick said. “When I talked to people connected with the fire service around the state, nobody’s ever heard of them.”
Residents have been calling their local fire departments to ask if they’re associated with the organization. Area fire officials have begun issuing statements asking residents to be wary and to not give out financial data.
“I just want to make sure that the folks ask a lot of questions of the solicitor. Don’t assume that they are supporting the firefighters in their community. Also, call the local fire department if there is a question,” Simsbury Fire Marshal Kevin Kowalski said.
Blumenthal said he believes the organization is “very suspect.”
“In a charitable solicitation scam, the typical markers are sudden hang-up when the recipient of the call begins asking questions or refuses to answer questions. When that happens, people should just avoid any involvement. Either the organization is suspect or the caller is suspect,” he said. “We have made no conclusions about this organization and we’re seeking to confirm whether it knows of any calls made in Connecticut.”