SOLON, Ohio — An Ohio police department is warning of scammers asking for donations for police and fire dogs.
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The Solon Police Department shared on Facebook that a business owner reached out about a phone call from someone claiming to represent the department.
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The caller said they were trying to collect money to support Solon’s “Police and Fire dogs” and referenced the department’s three dogs, Mack, Vito, and Henry, by name, according to the post.
The business owner was asked to pay $250.00 to buy supplies for one year, and the caller introduced themselves as “Chris Short.”
The caller ID showed an anonymous or private phone number, but the department said the Caller ID could have been faked to show that it was the actual number of the police department.
The business owner called the department directly to verify.
“Although we do maintain a donation fund to help support the dogs with unique needs, we ARE NOT SOLICITING SOLON BUSINESS OWNERS OR RESIDENTS to ask for money,” the post read.
The department also said that they will not be soliciting donations by phone and have no active campaigns going to raise money.
Solon Police also offered the following tips if you receive a similar call:
- Hang up on scammers!
- Always call businesses at numbers you know to verify any time they attempt to solicit you for payment.
- Don’t pay your bills or investments with cryptocurrencies, gift cards, and Western Union money transfers.
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