South Bay : Scam Artists--and Rude Ones at That

It wasn’t the requests for $100 that raised suspicion about the bogus fund drive. It was the downright obnoxiousness of the callers, who claimed to be representatives of the Hawthorne Firemen’s Assn.

During the past few months, phone solicitors claiming to be with the 56-member firefighter union have slammed down the phone after Hawthorne residents declined--however politely--to donate, association member Will Pryor said.

The callers also have been known to insist on speaking to certain individuals in a household, Pryor said, even if that means having them hauled out of the bathroom.

Pryor said the association, which has not held a fund-raiser in three years, learned of the scam after community members called to complain that “we were being rude to them on the phone.” Police are investigating.

The swindlers contacted Hawthorne small business owner Fernando Marquet three times before he got fed up with their ill-mannered approach and called to complain.

“The [solicitor] was very smooth, very sweet, very nice until I started walking out of the deal,” Marquet said. “I’d begin talking and, beep, I’d be disconnected. . . . “