Wisconsin is joining a number of states in an effort to stop on charity scams.
The Department of Justice has joined 47 other states in Operation False Charity, which most recently reached a settlement with the Milwaukee-based fundraising company, Community Support, Inc. Attorney General J-B Van Hollen says the firm was working on behalf of charities, but allegedly failed to disclose where they money would be spent, harassed potential donors, and kept up to 90-percent of what was collected for the company.
Van Hollen says such cases hurt real fundraising efforts by making people less willing to trust charities that rely on donations made through telephone campaigns.
The Attorney General says the public needs to be careful when responding to phone calls asking for donations and they should not be afraid to ask questions about where the money will be spent, how much actually goes to the charity, and who the solicitor works for. Van Hollen says you can also ask for details in writing, and it should be a red flag if the caller refuses to provide that information.