Got a call from this number this afternoon. Another website identifies it as coming from Frederick, MD and a name of Racquel Clarke. I don't know anybody from Frederick and have never heard of Racquel Clarke. Of course, no message was left, which indicates it was someone trying to scam me out of my credit card info and/or personal info, i.e., SS#. I do get quite a few FOP scam calls from the 240 area code, so might be one of those idiots...they're not the real FOP, just spoofing their identity in an effort to steal info.
Oh well, have to add another idiot to my call blocker. Best damn 40 bucks I ever spent! The peace and quiet is worth every penny!!
Just as I suspected, the FOP scammers are at it again. This now makes the 28th phone number these slimeballs have used to try and relieve me of my money. My son-in-law is a Baltimore County cop and he said the real cops never do this kind of "fund raising". Also, my former brother-in-law is a retired Baltimore City fireman. They put their lives at just as much risk as policemen do, yet I've never received a phone call about monetarily supporting any sort of firefighters union. This is definitely a scam.
I suspected this was the FOP yesterday when I first got a call from this number, but I always come to 800notes first to verify which scam is bothering me today. As a rule, I never answer my phone unless I know the number to be either family or friend. The bogus caller will get one chance to leave a detailed message about why they are calling. Unfamiliar number, no message, instant blacklist on my call blocker and they will never bother me again!
PS: I can't bring myself to label this Call Type as a not-for-profit...because they're not! They're just thieves. 800notes needs to expand their call type list to include many of the various criminals that are perpetrating this nonsense.
Call the number back using *67 to block your caller ID. Supposedly with the Maryland Fraternal Order of Police. An interactive answering machine answers the phone (Steve Durham) thanking you for calling back. Sounds believable, but ask him his shoe size, etc... and you realize you are talking to a machine. Ask to speak to a supervisor and you'll get through to an "operator" in Ohio or NJ, who claim to be with the Maryland FOP. Press them on it and they will finally admit that they are just operators working for a fund raising company (Residential Programs, Inc.) out of Eatontown, New Jersey. The whole deal is a scam! Caller ID never notes FOP, they use a couple different numbers; the interactive answering machine; the false representation; etc... The biggest scam of all is there take on the money they raise. After 5 years, listening to Steve Durham, I finally got "fed up" enough to turn the tables and did a search on who at MFOP authorized this. If you call the various lodges, no one knows that this "fund raising" is going on. I finally found out that orders were coming from the comptroller of Maryland FOP. I was very polite in talking with guy, and thought that I was informing him of misrepresentation, abuse, etc... He could be more indignant. He really didn't care what was going on, saying only to give him my number and he'd make sure I didn't receive any more calls. Worked for a year, now they are back! ... and by the way, after I gave him my number, the calls for MFOP stop, but the calls from other phony caller ID sources increased 3 fold.
I am trying to find the Comptroller's name and number to post so everyone can call and give him a taste of what its like to get bothered. If I can't find the number and someone wants to go through the effort- after getting "Fed Up" enough, just call MFOP and ask for the main Comptroller for the State FOP, and file your complaint... not that it will help, but maybe if enough people call he'll know what it feels like.