Article about telemarketing by Firefighters Support Foundation in newspaper

There was an article in today's Boston Herald (09/24/2016) newspaper about solicitations from Firefighters Support Foundation (perhaps it should be Firefighter's Support Foundation).  I'll summarize it here.

They called a Boston Fire Commissioner, who was outraged by the call.  They also called at least one other firefighter.

The Commissioner said, regarding a call purportedly from the FSF, "I'm appalled that people are actually using the firefighting profession to raise money. ... We certainly wouldn't solicit using a third party, it's not what we do, and I could say with absolute certainty that no one else in the state would either."  He thought the call asking him to contribute to "fire departments" was a joke at first, but when he asked who it really was, the caller panicked and hung up.  He felt like the caller was implying the group was supporting local departments.

The FSF executive director stated that his group's scripts do not state that they are raising money for local departments.  He also acknowledged that the company received "numerous" complaints from people who feel that they have been misled.  He says they make training videos and presentations and funds grants for fire departments.

According to their 2014 tax filing:

Outside contractors (read "telemarketing firms") raised $4.5 million.  They kept 90% of that!

Of the remaining $450,000, at least $190,000 went towards salaries/compensation.

$84,000 went towards grants and $16,000 to video production.

By my math, using their own numbers, at most $260,000 of $4.5 million (5.8%) went towards some kind of firefighter support.  I don't think that I shall be contributing.

It is well known among educated people that these telemarketers are doing nothing more than stuffing their own pockets.  All one has to do is look at their IRS forms.  Unfortunately there are no laws that dictate how much money has to go to the charity.  One should never, ever donate money for any cause if cold called.  I suspect that these were at one time telemarketers that sold some worthless trinket, and got shut out when the DNC came around.  So now to survive, they have moved on to this since they know the numbers don't need to be scrubbed and they can once again steal from people.

Firefighters Support Foundation, Inc. and their use of undisclosed and undefined call centers and charity / fundraiser / telefunder networks is a good example of predatory, fraudulent, unfair, deceptive, abusive acts, practices within state and federal violations under state and federal TCPA / TSR laws. Using three states that do require registration for charities and their fundraisers you can link third party to third party to third party use of call centers that are associated and affiliated.
State of Washington shows alternate name "Foundation For First Responders And Firefighters" and use of solicitors / telefunders:
Courtesy Call, Inc.
Community Support, Inc.
Midwest Publishing-DN, Inc.
CORPORATIONS FOR CHARACTER, L.C.
Outreach Calling
RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS, INC.
Safety Services, Inc.
CHARITY PROMOTIONS, INC.
UNITED SUPPORT, LLC
ORGANIZATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, INC.
CHARITY APPEAL, LLC
DONOR RELATIONS, LLC
That doesn't show if there's outsourcing / subcontracting within call centers nor their charity and fundraiser / telefunder networks. see https://www.sos.wa.gov/charities/search-app.aspx#/detail-charity/25133
State of Florida's gift givers doesn't pull up "Firefighters Support Foundation", Inc but does pull up their alternate use name "Foundation For First Responders And Firefighters" and their solicitor / telefunder as "Outreach Calling". see https://csapp.800helpfla.com/CSPublicApp/GiftGiversQuery/GiftGiversQuery.aspx who does allow for compliance under state and federal TSR Do Not Call Laws see
State of Massachusetts http://www.charities.ago.state.ma.us/charitie ... &bod=1474800682 does show use of outsourcing / subcontracting from "Outreach Calling" to tele-scammers who call as their client "Outreach Calling". Outsourcing to http://www.bbb.org/new-york-city/Business-Rev ... klyn-ny-109264/ also https://www.sos.wa.gov/charities/search-app.aspx#/detail-cfr/39256 also https://www.sos.wa.gov/charities/search-app.aspx#/detail-cfr/34553

I just received one of these calls, the recording said "Hi, this is John calling from the First Responders and Firefighters, how are you?" When I asked what was the name of the company he represented, there was a pause.  They must have rewound the tape, because I received the following response, "Hi, this is John calling from the First Responders and Firefighters, how are you?"  .  I hung up.

Good info. I get cold calls soliciting for police and sheriff "charity". Same scam. I always post to the number thread on 800notes with links to several articles that explain the cold call charity scam. I'm going to add a link to this thread in my standard response.

Your post would do better under the phone number that called you. This website is number-based and people will benefit more from you posting under the phone number than they will from your post here, on a random thread that will disappear shortly.

What the heck are you talking about? How does 800notes benefit from these calls? This site is free, no money involved.

} must have rewound the tape

There is no tape, but the voice was canned and stored for ready use via soundboard software. You heard the same sound clip triggered by a live agent at a terminal, who remains mute and cannot respond well to questions which veer off script or ask for too much of the truth. Instead you'll get replays of prior clips or stalls for time like claims that the rep "can't hear you" or even recorded coughs. With persistence you may hear the clip which divulges the name and location of the call center, to which cease-comm demands can be sent.

The call center's use of a soundboard was pioneered by a commercial fundraiser in Utah, Corporations For Character, which I've discussed several times before, and caught like wildfire throughout that industry. Fraudulent telemarketers were next turned on to the technology. The pushy cruise travel goons seem to be the worst offenders this year.