How to Raise $89 Million in Small Donations - And Make It Disappear (conservative scam)

[dalton99a]

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2023/05/14/us/politics/scam-robocalls-donations-policing-veterans.html
https://archive.ph/3Ypsg

How to Raise $89 Million in Small Donations — And Make It Disappear
By David A. Fahrenthold and Tiff Fehr
May 4, 2023

A group of conservative operatives using sophisticated robocalls raised millions of dollars from donors using pro-police and pro-veteran messages. But instead of using the money to promote issues and candidates, an analysis by The New York Times shows, nearly all the money went to pay the firms making the calls and the operatives themselves, highlighting a flaw in the regulation of political nonprofits.

The phone rings. The caller knows your name, and opens with a dad joke.

He is asking for donations, for a group that helps the police.

This is not a policeman. This is not even a human. This is a computer, making thousands of robocalls with the same folksy voice.

And like “Frank Wallace,” the American Police Officers Alliance is not what it seems.

....

[dembotoz]

1. I think that is wonderful

anytime a conservative gets played an angel gets its wings....or something like that.

[keithbvadu2]

2. These scams make ALL charity/political solicitations suspect.

[multigraincracker]

4. I always ask for their personal

phone # so I can call them back after I research their charity. CLICK.

[PatSeg]

3. Wow, out of the $89 million collected,

only $826,904 was spent on campaigns.

[ms liberty]

5. Finally. This group was hickey from the first. n/t

[yellowdogintexas]

6. Donations to "help fund Police" is a huge red flag for me

and an instant block this number!

[TheBlackAdder]

7. I never donate to any group calling on behalf of the local PBA, they keep 80-90% of your donation.

.

If you want to donate to a specific cause, donate directly to the group. Do not use an intermediary service.

But, it's also the fault of the local PBA for allowing that firm to use their name to fund raise.


Here's a funny thing. I used to donate to my local PBA yearly. Then, I started getting the full disclosure notices and noticed a trend. The money that was being distributed was going to pay the college scholarships of the PBA head's children and others on the board. Nothing went to any officer family or stored in reserves for an immediate need, just distributions to those running the PBA. It's like none of the other hundred officers had children with special needs or were enrolled in college. They did a good job trying to mask and explain away the scam though. I stopped donating after seeing this three years in a row.

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