KENNEBUNK — Police are warning local businesses about a phone scammer pretending to collect money on behalf of Kennebunk High School.
The Kennebunk police notified the public of the scam on Thursday through a Facebook post.
Kennebunk High School athletic administrator Joe Schwartzman that several local business, including Hannaford grocery store and Dairy Queen, had received phone calls from someone asking for money for to donate money for advertisements on a Kennebunk High School schedule and calendar.
Kennebunk High School is not soliciting for advertisements for a football calendar, said Schwartzman, and the callers asking for money have no relation to the high school or Regional School Unit 21, which oversees education in Kennebunk, Kennebunkport and Arundel.
According to The Federal Trade Commission, charity phone scammers often try to pressure people into donating. No one should feel rushed to make a donation, said the FTC, as a legitimate charity will be happy to receive money at any time.
The FTC tells people to take time and do research before donating money. The FTC advises consumers to ask a caller for the charity’s exact name, website and mailing address so they can look up the information later.
The FTC said some scammers will use made-up names that sound like real organizations. Scammers can also use technology to trick people with a local phone number on a caller ID screen, when in reality, the call could come from anywhere in the world.
Those who think they have been scammed by a fraudulent charity should file a complaint at FTC.gov/Complaint.
— Staff Writer Liz Gotthelf can be reached at 780-9015 or by email at egotthelf@journaltribune.com.
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