I got a call at the office with Caller ID reading, I kid you not, “ILLEGAL SCAM”.
Maybe the scammers aren’t paying their phone bill, and the provider decided to try something more creative than just turning off the line.
The National and state PBA does not solicit by phone and they do not license their name out. So if you get any calls saying they are from the PBA it’s a scam. The FOP does lend out their name to companies that will for a fee solicit funds. There are multiple other organizations that are technically legit since a portion of donations collected do go to charity but they are making a healthy profit too.
My wife got one of these calls, told them to stop calling, and then about a week later got a letter in the mail basically saying “You pledged to donate $20 to us but we haven’t gotten your check yet!” Of course it went in the trash, but I’m sure there’s elderly people who believe it and send in a check.
it’s the Policewomen that don’t have balls.
I’ve been getting a bunch of “dead air” calls at work. From what I can google, it’s autodialers creating lists of numbers that will be answered by a human. Still annoying.
So the police are scamming me now…
No, they aren’t. Someone is trying to scam you by presenting themselves as representing the police.
I threw my phone away back in the early 90s. Haven’t had a need for it since.
Man, you really should call the cops. 
And a little research might show you that the “charity” isn’t a real charity, but a collection scam to support the owner’s yachts, gambling and Mercedes, all tax-free.
There are many such, masquerading as cancer assistance services, children’s medical help, and many more. Ask them for their IRS form 990, which reveals the bloody details. If they hang up, that’s a sure sign the call is a scam.
Piffle, I’ve cut all the wires long ago and even banned drums from my house.
Sent via smoke signals by my Acme camp fire
Smoke signals? Feh. I turned off my eyeballs back in the '80s.
Bah, I haven’t spoken to a single person since my fifth birthday. My last words were, and I quote, “Don’t ask me”.
Right.
I’ve had my tongue surgically removed while I was still in utero, and have spent the majority of my life in a sensory deprivation tank. (each morning I’d have to get up and lick the tank clean with the stub of my tongue) I’m not even aware that other humans exist.
I live in a sensory deprivation tank in the snow. Both ways!
When I’ve received one of these charity solicitation calls, I usually ask them how the money will be used. They admit that only ten percent or so actually goes to any charitable purpose (the rest going to the for-profit fundraising company), although sometimes they need to get a supervisor on the phone as the initial caller claims not to know the numbers. (It may be that they want the initial caller not to waste time and to get busy making more calls.) At this point, I usually tell them something like I’m throwing money out the window and that this will probably do more good than giving them money. They usually hang up at this point.
BTW, one of these scammers claimed to be from a firefighters’ organization and said the legitimate purpose of the money was for “education”. Given that the call began with the solicitor reminding me to check the batteries in my smoke detectors, I suspect that they’re trying to pretend that the phone calls themselves are the educational efforts, perhaps allowing them to keep all the money.
Another thing. The Tampa Bay Times had a project in which they identified the worst charities in America and occasionally I actually get calls from one of those groups. So it’s great fun to point out to them that they’re number five, or whatever, on this list.
Sounds legit…
Ask them for IRS form 990, which they must file. Any legitimate charitable organization won’t refuse. Scams will hang up so fast the phone will be smokin’.
I’m tempted to say that 100% of all telemarketing calls are scams. But surely some are legitimate?
I have a detailed database compiled over the last 2-3 years of every unwanted call made to my phones (hey, it’s a hobby). Every time I get called by a supposed “charity,” I investigate, at least by doing some quick googling. I haven’t found a single legitimate one yet. Why are they avoiding me?
I’m on EVERYBODY’S “IGNORE” list.
Seriously. Even in meatspace.
All topics of discussion are about my cat. If it’s not about my cat, it’s by definition not a discussion.