The Better Business Bureau is alerting area businesses to telemarkeers saying they represent a
police charity.Area businesses have reportedly been receiving calls from an organization called
"Brothers in Blue" soliciting funds for various reputed causes. Doctors and professional
offices seem to be those most often solicited by the callers.The "Brothers in Blue" callers
represent themselves under a number of different names and have provided differing addresses for their
physical location. In some cases they indicate they will send a "plainclothes police officer"
to the site to pick up the donation check which, they say, is in an effort no to frighten business
patrons. A press release from the BBB indicated that checking done on phone numbers and addresses
provided by the callers found that they may not be actual police officers, but
telemarketers.Telemarketers for police, fire and other similar groups often take more than 75 percent of
the funds collected, with the groups they are soliciting for receiving little or nothing.The BBB advises
that before making a donation solicited over the telephone by such a group, take the following steps:•
Get the full name, address and phone number of the "charity" doing the calling.• Ask the
caller what percentage of each donation goes to the police organization.• Tell them that you will check
the group’s BBB grade and call them back if it checks out.• If the caller tries high-pressure or
threats, hang up.•If the group sends a "plainclothes officer" out to pick up a check, insist
on seeing proper police identification. They likely will not be a true officer.