Why is the State Police calling me for donations when they're definitely "better funded" than me?

Submitted by chain_me_up t3_yysd6r in newhampshire

Honestly, I'm just getting really tired of the same dude calling me from different numbers every couple of weeks to ask me to donate to an NH State Police Drive/Fund. I'm not trying to say that there's no struggling police officers, but I'm a 24 year old also struggling with my own bills and issues, so I'm absolutely not gonna give what little money I get to save to the State Police. Feels pretty tone deaf to have a State-funded department ask me for donations when I'm struggling with inflation and lose out on my own paychecks anyway via taxes that I don't even benefit from for years. I once stayed on the line for the whole call, explained to the gentleman I couldn't afford to donate, and he proceeded to say that even $20 would help 🤦‍♀️

Anyway, I've blocked every number and asked to be removed from their calling list 2 times, is there ANYTHING else I can do to get them to stop calling?

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UnfairAd7220 t1_iwwfl0q wrote

It's a scam. The get the NHST union to sign up with those fund raisers, and they keep 90%. The NHST union gets free money and we get harassed.

I fell for it one year. They still call 10 years later and it's gotten to the point where I'm abusive to the callers.

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chain_me_up OP t1_iwwg2q9 wrote

Sorry to hear it got that bad for you :/ thank you for sharing your experience as well

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MontEcola t1_iwxhh0v wrote

It is a fund raising scam. They do donate some to the police, but most is profit to the company.

Is the caller a man with a VERY deep voice?

I have lived in 6 states and it is the same story in each.

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Few-Afternoon-6276 t1_iwxpecl wrote

They told me it was for the family in case the officer is killed in the line of duty.

Two questions… they said ask away!

  1. What is their life insurance policy for ?
  2. If I die at work, who helps my spouse and children?

I don’t give to this “scam”

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nullcompany t1_ix5bv0k wrote

very scary voice. the voice is less scary when he tells you he's putting you on the do not call list. try it

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MontEcola t1_ix5vei8 wrote

I use my scary voice back. He hangs up in a hurry. I think I blasted his eardrums a couple of times.

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KrissaKray t1_iwwh7mr wrote

It's 1000% a scam. it's not the State Police. Just hang up.

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chain_me_up OP t1_iwwhf04 wrote

I do everytime and block the number, was simply looking for others input on if they were also experiencing it & if they were able to get it to stop.

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kmkmrod t1_iwwltk4 wrote

“How do I make scammers stop calling me”

If you figure that out you’ll be rich.

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KrissaKray t1_iwwhhx8 wrote

I actually got a call from them about 2 hours ago on my work line - so they're definitely making the rounds again.

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chain_me_up OP t1_iwwhm1d wrote

Sounds like you got a call at a similar time, hopefully they leave us be haha

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KrissaKray t1_iwwhwsf wrote

You’ll probably get a couple more before this round is done lol

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Administrative-Low37 t1_iwxtydi wrote

It's a scam. Of course it's a scam.

Years ago I went to work for one of these scammers and after a day of unpleasant calls the boss finally admitted that he takes almost all the money (administrative costs...) and the police get a party at the end of the year. The party costs him less than 5% of the total money raised.

It's an evil scam.

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kmkmrod t1_iwwlqgd wrote

Because it’s not the state police. It’s a scam. It’s the “state police benevolent fund” or some shit like that. The money doesn’t go to the state police.

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adelw0lf_ t1_iwwbrq8 wrote

i had a job interview at a call center that i learned did calls for this stuff. theyre not actually officers or firemen, just telemarketers. fuck em. slap your name on the do not call registry too: https://www.donotcall.gov

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abbys_alibi t1_iwwdrqh wrote

Then report, at the same web address, every single telemarketing and robo call you get. EVERY SINGLE ONE. It takes less than 5 minutes. After a while you'll notice a major drop in these types of calls. I might get 2 a month and yes, I report them.

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gOrDoNhAsNtPlAyEdIn3 t1_iwxqvx7 wrote

Its fake. The staties don't cold call you for donations. They're targeting Republican boomers who love cops and the military because they're the least tech-savvy demographic.

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xforce4life t1_iwwm8gb wrote

Its a scam They don’t seek donations that way

Like when Sergeant Jesse Edward Sherrill passed the scammers came right out of the woodworks

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comefromawayfan2022 t1_iwz82ap wrote

His death was super painful to me. I grew up with his family and he was best friends with my cousins and was a godfather to one of my cousins kids. one of my cousins gave a eulogy at his funeral

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Azr431 t1_iwx1b42 wrote

Even if it’s not a scam, who dafuq would give money to cops?

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Jesus-Mcnugget t1_iwvydkc wrote

Yeah... This doesn't sound very legitimate

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chain_me_up OP t1_iwvykem wrote

I wouldn't donate anyway, just annoying as fuck and wanted to complain about it. I also wondered if anyone was also getting spammed and got them to stop so I could do the same.

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Jesus-Mcnugget t1_iwvyw3p wrote

The fact that they are calling from different numbers alone is a big red flag.

If you told them to stop calling and they don't, that's another flag.

This is seems like a scam.

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chain_me_up OP t1_iwvzayw wrote

It most likely is, I never doubted that option, again, simply trying to see if anyone else is experiencing this.

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Jesus-Mcnugget t1_iww01ds wrote

The point was it seems like a scam. And from a quick search online it appears there are some scammers pretending to be police associations.

So if it's a scam, they are probably going to keep calling you as long as you keep answering.

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chain_me_up OP t1_iww0ksp wrote

I'll just let it ring then, I get what you're saying

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dannydonkey2019 t1_iwx3zrd wrote

I'm at a point that I let every call I don't know the number to voicemail and read the transcript so I waste less time. So many scams over phone and sms...

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Rixtertech t1_iwxa9h9 wrote

Agreed, I've been there for years. If I don't know who you are, chances are I have absolutely no need or desire to hear from you.

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Dugen t1_iwwcrfy wrote

Even if it isn't a scam, it's a scam.

If you give them money you're paying them to bother you. Don't ever give money to people who call you.

The best I'll ever do is tell them to send me something in the mail because legit organizations don't mind mailing you something but mail fraud is illegal so scammers rarely will.

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Euphoric_Badger8615 t1_iwyfs7a wrote

Because suckers keep sending money. If everyone who sends these scammers money would stop, they'd go the fuck away. STOP sending money!!!

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LeslieMarston t1_iwx3m0a wrote

Basically those are ‘real’ charities that collect a ton of money for the cops and end up giving like 2% of the money to the cops and 98% to them. Plus, you’re right, why do the cops need money when they are very well paid, some detail cops make $300k a year or more.

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enolagaybomah45 t1_iwwopd6 wrote

I told them yes ago that I'm a black male. They said we understand and hung up

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KrakenMcCracken t1_iwwqy4l wrote

I’ve had these motherfuckers call and suggest bad things could happen to me if I didn’t send them money.

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skasticks t1_iwwrq80 wrote

Largest, most powerful gang in the country, and they rule with impunity.

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Lopsided-Repair-1123 t1_iwxadft wrote

It’s not the troopers calling it’s a collection agency and 5hey get most the donations.

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DebPinky t1_iwxt3y1 wrote

It’s a scam. As soon as you tell them to mail the info they’ll try and pressure you for your credit card info.

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Iskatezero88 t1_iww7nlt wrote

I’m curious if it is a scam like other people are saying. Had a similar experience maybe a year ago with a fire department looking for donations. Except I don’t live in that town and the person that they were asking for when I picked up wasn’t me. I explained that they had the wrong number and wished them luck, but then kept getting spammed for like a month by them.

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chain_me_up OP t1_iww80zd wrote

Yeah, totally possible it's a scam, or maybe it is some charity thing affiliated with them, either way its super annoying.

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Iamjacksgoldlungs t1_iwx1lvl wrote

I worked for a company that did this for a short while til I caught wind of a few foul practices. They operate a small office of a few con artists who call and receive a percentage. Totally legal, but their tactics and outright lying to the people that they call is abhorrent.

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TMS_3_6 t1_iwwkuhf wrote

Who is still answering a personal phone number call from a number they don't recognize?

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catslapper69 t1_iwwqpho wrote

I do, it's easier to hang up on people or fuck with them than it is to empty my voicemail

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chain_me_up OP t1_iwwq5d6 wrote

People who receive phone calls from people who may not be saved in their phone ? People waiting for important phone calls? People who work with clients via their phone ? Lots of people don't have the liberty of ignoring every call lol

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myfacepwnsurs t1_iwxxj4x wrote

Are they the ones that send out those white “state police supporter 202X” stickers? My grandmother when she was alive donated to something like that (over the phone) and got the damn sticker every year.

I never understood why people put those on their cars? It’s not going to stop the police from pulling you over.

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BigMax t1_iwyyh53 wrote

There are definitely stickers that help. Although those that actually do help you have to be careful with. If you get pulled over with it on they ask which cop you know.

They piss me off so much. Any cop and any close family and friends of cops here are immune to any traffic violations, and it’s even out in the open with those stickers, and no one cares.

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Think-Cow-8944 t1_iww05r5 wrote

I always thought it was a scam but idk.....

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chain_me_up OP t1_iww0oqw wrote

Probably is a scam, I was hoping people who also received the calls would weigh in. I'd never donate to them anyway lmao

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AuthorSnow t1_iww4816 wrote

Ever think about calling them up and say hey do you guys ask for donations because if you don’t I have a story for you…

Personally a state funded police department asking for donations smells fishy to me from the get go.

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chain_me_up OP t1_iww4j7r wrote

The dude says it for some drive (my guess + other comments have me thinking maybe it's something Union related), but I agree. I'd rather not talk to the state police regardless, but maybe if they call again I'll ask for the organization name and see what I can find.

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AuthorSnow t1_iww7728 wrote

Yeah for sure my guy. I mean sure nobody likes talking to cops but if it’s a scam at least you will know AND you can the block the number and stop getting harassed

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ellakneoneyes t1_iww1xa7 wrote

They used to be in the office next to mine, they’re real, it was just two weird dudes (not cops) in a little office and sometime you could hear snoring through the wall

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chain_me_up OP t1_iww2ei2 wrote

Lmao that sounds about right, maybe they went their separate ways because the same guy calls me everytime 💀

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Guilty-Departure919 t1_iwwpadc wrote

The police and fire should never ask for donations! Don’t give them anything and don’t feel bad

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SDdude27 t1_iwx35p7 wrote

Id literally wipe my shit covered ass with cash before I donated money to ANY government entity.

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tuctrohs t1_iwx7uxr wrote

I'd rather donate money to the government than to these scammers.

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comefromawayfan2022 t1_iwz7qo3 wrote

It's fake. They do a similar thing with the fire service. My roommate (who's actually a firefighter/medic) enjoys picking up those calls and going "oh yeah? Which department are you on? What's your badge number? What for the fire service are these funds specifically going to be used for?" Gets dead silence and a click every time

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Impossible-Source-37 t1_iwzar5d wrote

As many have said already this is a scam. These calls on behalf of police and firefighters have been going on for decades. I have repeatedly added my name to do not call lists, but it has very little impact.

Instead, I never answer any call that I do not recognize the number. If it is important, then they will leave a voicemail and I delete if it is any type of solicitation or scam.

My favorite are the voicemails about car warranty expiring, Microsoft identified an issue with my computer, cable provider calling about a network issue, I have won a prize, and my child has been arrested and they need bail money using a credit card or wire transfer.

I have different strategies for email or text scams, but be smart about all potential scams. Incoming call rules that I follow:

Rule #1 - don’t answer calls from anyone outside my contact list.

Rule #2 - never call back due to voicemails about questionable debit or credit transaction using the incoming number. Instead, use the number on the back of the card or on a financial statement.

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plz1 t1_iww6qm7 wrote

I doubt it's the actual State Police doing this, it's likely an affiliated organization (charity maybe?). I have no idea what the end game is (other than getting our money), but I do know it's not actually the state agency cold calling people asking for the money. I'll start donating money to them just as soon as they abolish civil asset forfeiture...

I still won't donate, that was a lie.

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farts_in_the_breeze t1_iww7ih8 wrote

They won't stop. I had to log into Charter and block their number. If you get an actual person, you can tell them they're scam artists. They get a little upset then use a recorded message. I do recommend blocking their number with your phone service though.

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TreePointOhhhhh t1_iwwokw3 wrote

Used to get a lot of these calls. Started playing 2 girls one cup and leaving the phone next to the speaker. Most of them stopped calling. Except for one guy who was still on when I came back to the phone. Issues. But for the most part, they got the hint and took me off their lists.

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catslapper69 t1_iwwqlbe wrote

When they ask for me by name I tell them that I'm dead

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Happy_Confection90 t1_iwx3ks6 wrote

The breast cancer donation calls I keep getting in addition to these cop funding calls are another known scam, btw.

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Ok_Nobody4967 t1_iwwuibe wrote

That is an organization that does fundraising. I asked them that if I gave them a dollar how much would go to the actual organization. They told me forty cents. I then told them never to call me again. I prefer one hundred per cent of my donations go to an organization of my choice.

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IDUU t1_iwx0fbb wrote

That’s why I just give my donations directly to the State police every time I get pulled over. I keep ending up in jail though, maybe I should offer more…

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picklehaub t1_iwvyc65 wrote

The calls are super obnoxious however its not the police department, it’s the organization associated with them.

Patrolman’s association or benevolent fund that help defray costs for their memebers.

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chain_me_up OP t1_iwvynar wrote

But is there anyway to get it to stop?

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lMickNastyl t1_iwvyyf4 wrote

Tell them you would rather spend $20 on bacon.

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chain_me_up OP t1_iwvz78c wrote

Lmao after listening to the call once, I now just instantly hang up and block as soon as the guy starts to talk 💀

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picklehaub t1_iwvzdp7 wrote

Probably not calling prisoners at the state prison.

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DeerFlyHater t1_iww2j5v wrote

You could try asking them to remove you from their call list. I say try, because we all know how that goes.

I agree that it is not the police that are calling.

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chain_me_up OP t1_iww2mpz wrote

Yeah, in my OP I mentioned asking to be removed twice, I appreciate the suggestion though (:

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DeerFlyHater t1_iww749m wrote

Crud. That's what I get for speedreading. Sorry about that.

Are you on the no call list? You can try reporting the number here: https://www.donotcall.gov/report.html

FWIW, I've never reported a number, but I find the no call list pretty much worthless. Maybe I'll start reporting.

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chain_me_up OP t1_iww7juc wrote

Thank you for the tip! No worries on the original comment :P

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Equivalent_Look4823 t1_iww2zy8 wrote

I thought this was a scam

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chain_me_up OP t1_iww368f wrote

Very well could be, was honestly just looking to see if anyone else was experiencing it and wanted to vent a bit lol

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beyond_hatred t1_iwwa44w wrote

It's a semi-scam. Some fraction of the money, in all likelihood a very small fraction, usually goes to some fund covering home medical care or other needs that may not be met by the state. The rest of it goes in some shady businessman's pocket.

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movdqa t1_iwwk4og wrote

I have no idea that these are the State Police calling. Particularly when they are calling from Nevada. There was one time when they called and I just said that I'm dealing with half a million in medical bills for cancer treatment and I was unemployed and they still asked if I could send them something. For some reason, they kept calling me and I just said that I'm dealing with cancer.

Eventually I just hung up.

My mother was scammed relentlessly over all kinds of things to the point where she was terrified in answering the phone. These folks are the worst.

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chain_me_up OP t1_iwwqa5j wrote

Thats an awful experience, I'm sorry that both of you went through that and I hope that you were able to recover ):

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movdqa t1_iwwr28w wrote

I made it through treatment and am moderately disabled but happy to be alive.

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Doug_Shoe t1_iwx6om6 wrote

yeah, troopers making $80,000.00 per year calling elderly people on social security to ask them for money.

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AmazingChicken t1_iwx9muw wrote

Tell them the number is new and that you're a business and do not accept solicitations.

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Early_Jackfruit6577 t1_iwz3rnl wrote

I just tell him he should go take a knee and ask the blm people for money, this white boy is done supporting them.

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rkarl7777 t1_iww7n1a wrote

I've gotten so many calls from state police, city police, officer's fund, fireman's fund, etc., that I no longer answer my phone.

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chain_me_up OP t1_iww7vrt wrote

Ugh sorry to hear about that, I usually answer my phone as I don't get many calls in the first place, but maybe I'll just have to ignore them all and only reach out to those who leave voicemails.

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cpuenvy t1_iwwotks wrote

They used to call my office all the time until I started engaging them. Using phrases like ACAB really seemed to help.

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TheTyrantKingGeorge t1_iww26lb wrote

I try to waste as much of their time as possible. I'll give them false info, act interested, get them to talk about anything besides what's on the script, say what was that? a lot, never directly answer their questions, etc. A lot of ad-libbing.

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chain_me_up OP t1_iww2g3q wrote

Good tip, maybe I'll try that next time lol

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TheTyrantKingGeorge t1_iww5dnd wrote

It's fun. Act like their friend, then blow up at them for something trivial, then apologize, have them go back to the script, misunderstand them.... Mess with them enough, and they'll wind up blocking you.

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ElisabetSobeckPhD t1_iwwyqcm wrote

I think the only thing you can actually do, that will for sure work, is switch to a Google Pixel phone. The call screening is basically perfect.

I haven't gotten a scam call or text in years. Here's an article discussing it

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Peeeculiar t1_iww3xrd wrote

It does not happen every couple of weeks.

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chain_me_up OP t1_iww48m3 wrote

Oh I didn't realize we shared phones! Thanks for telling me that

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