'BADGE FRAUD' TARGETED BY STATES

Impersonating an officer is a crime, and now, state and federal authorities are looking for illegitimate solicitors pretending to represent public safety organizations.

The Federal Trade Commission is teaming up with state attorneys general to crackdown on a crime they call "badge fraud," whiuch occurs when people supposedly representing agencies like the Missouri Sheriffs' Association or State Troopers Association call and solicit donations.

According to the FTC government web site, fraudulent solicitors received more than $1 billion illegally in 1995 for charitable organizations, including public safety organizations. The FTC contends that these schemes make it harder for legitimate charities to get funding because contributors who have been duped once don't want to be willing targets for a second scheme.

"You may have contributed a portion of the $143 billion raised for charities in 1995," the web site states. "Unfortunately, an estimated $1.43 billion of that amount may have been misused or ended up in the pockets of fraudulent solicitors."

Sgt. Carl Kinnison of the Cape Girardeau Police Department said his department generally receives several complaints each year concerning possible badge fraud, but to date, only one complaint has been received this year.

"We normally forward those directly to the Attorney General's office for investigation," he said. "There are many different associations out there, which makes it very difficult to know which ones are legitimate."

James L. Vermeersch, Missouri Sheriff's Association executive director, said his organization instituted a mail-only campaign years ago to minimize confusion.

"All too often, phone solicitors prey on unsuspecting victims for so-called charitable contributions," he said. "This type of activity is especially unfortunate for the legitimate charities, such as the Missouri Sheriffs' Association, that rely on public funding for support."

Cape Girardeau County Sheriff John Jordan said legitimate organizations that solicit donations by telephone are easier targets for impersonators. Because the organizations solicit throughout the year, it's harder to separate legitimate calls from fraudulent ones, he said.

Kinnison said people should be cautious whenever a phone solicitor calls for any reason. In fact, he said, the chances of receiving a fraudulent call rather than a legitimate one are so great that he doesn't encourage residents to respond to any telephone solicitations.

However, he said, if a person does choose to make a donation, they should get as many facts as possible from the caller. "Ask for a contact person; get a name, address and telephone number," he said. "Oftentimes, if it's a fraud, they won't do it. They'll simply hang up."

The FTC also recommends a number of other precautions to ensure that a person's donation benefits the organization they want to help. Besides getting identification, they said another important precaution is watching for similar-sounding names.

"Some phony charities use names that closely resemble those of respected, legitimate organizations," states information on the web site. "Most states require charities to be registered or licensed by the state. Check with your state Attorney General's office or the Secretary of State."