FULLERTON : Warning Is Issued on Charity Scam

Scam artists claiming to represent the police department are calling people and asking for donations of money, according to the department.

“They’re using us as a guise,” said Mary Murphy, an officer in the Community Services Division. Murphy said she received two calls on Monday from residents who were asked for money and that she became suspicious.

The residents wanted to donate money to help nonprofit organizations, she said. “When they asked for an address, (the scam artists) just said: ‘Oh, we’ll stop by, just leave the check under the doormat,’ ” Murphy said. “That’s really unusual.”

“Hopefully, we can save some folks from being victims,” Murphy said.

Murphy said the department has not given permission for anyone to use its name in a fund-raising effort.

Murphy said police departments throughout the county are soliciting for the annual “Cop Bowl,” which pits North County officers against their South County colleagues in a football game. People wanting to help charities may donate money to the department directly, Murphy said. A separate account is maintained through which the department gives money to nonprofit organizations, she said.

Murphy said the department has not yet received any leads on the identity of the scam artists. Residents who receive the calls should try to get an address or phone number from the callers, she said.