703-291-9063

This call was from the American Association of State Troopers (Virginia) soliciting money for the charity work they do.

It is my understanding that State Troopers or any other police organization NEVER EVER solicit for money over the phone and these are scams!!! That applies to ALL states in the U.S.

this quote is directly from the Virginia State Police Dept."There are many organizations that Virginia State Police personnel may belong to, if they choose.  Those who are members pay dues.  These associations are fraternal/professional organizations and could be compared to the associations that nurses and teachers belong to in their respective professions.  Organizationally, these associations are not a part of the Virginia Department of State Police.  They are separate entities that are not a part of state government.

The following are a few organizations that do solicit and may use State Police in their solicitations:  the Police Association of Virginia (PAV), the Virginia State Police Association (VSPA), the Virginia State Police Chapter of the Police Benevolent Association (PBA), the Virginia Troopers Alliance, the American Association of State Troopers’ Virginia Troopers’ Lodge, and the Virginia State Police Chapter of the Fraternal Order of Police.

If contacted by a charity or organization soliciting a donation, you can research the charity/organization through the Virginia Office of Consumer Affairs online at http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/consumers/ or by calling toll-free (800) 552-0063 or (804) 786-2042. "
 they are legitimate calls, although annoying to some people, I find it a great honor to support our officers of the law and firefighters any way that I can. If you don't want to be bothered, tell them to remove you from their calling list. But keep track of which of these organizations calls, and who you tell. Many of them have similar initials in their titles and it can get quite confusing as to who you've asked to remove you and who you haven't.

Just told my daughter they would call back.

I have received 5 calls from these people in the last two days.  One caller identified himself as being with the Virginia Police Association (or something like that) and all the other calls show up as "Unavailable" on my caller I.D.   I do not answer the phone anymore as I believe they may be just another scam of some kind.  I believe it is not actually a policeman calling but possibly a telemarketing firm calling on their behalf.  I may be wrong and they're on the level, but I'm a senior retiree and not in a position to contribute money and also find the calls annoying.