http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/colorado ... olorado-springs
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Have you received a call from the Police Foundation of Colorado Springs recently? You may want to check your bank account.
Scammers are targeting unsuspecting residents by pretending to be Colorado Springs Police Department officers asking people for donations on behalf of the Police Foundation of Colorado Springs.
The Colorado Springs Police Department and the Police Foundation of Colorado Springs would like to remind the community that they never call citizens to raise money. Any phone call that attempts to solicit money on behalf of the police department and their organizations is engaging in a criminal act that should be reported to (719) 444-7000.
The phone calls are very similar to past fraudulent attempts to gain money that used the name of the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office or the Fountain Police Department, an official with the law enforcement agency said.
Caller ID sussed this one out, so I didn't even bother to answer. However, two things to know about these types of calls, which are designed to prey on either your fear of, or desire to help, our police: (1) They are frequently out and out criminal scams seeking your personal information, and (2) the ones that are not scams are paid solicitors who keep the bulk (about 90%) of what they collect. So, as others have said, if you want to support your local or state police or fire workers, give directly.