Akron Blue Knights Scam. Just wanted to let everyone know not to give to this organization. In January 2013 they(identified himself as Richard Davis) called my business asking for a donation for the Shop With A Cop program. I committed to $200, and they sent a guy to my office the next day to pick up a check. In January 2014, I got the same phone call from the same guy for the same reason. I committed again to $200. I was a little suspicious, so I called a police office friend to ask him about it. He told me that he participated in the Shop With A Cop program, and it was great. He then said it usually happens before Christmas, though. When the guy from the Blue Knights called back to schedule the check pick up, I asked him when the event was happening. He told me "this Saturday". I asked him where, and he said "Walmart". I asked which Walmart, and he got belligerent and said I am just trying to get out of giving them money and hung up on me. I contacted the head of the Akron Blue Knights(Richard Dolbow, Bratenahl Police Chief) directly, and told him what happened and warned him that someone might be using their name in a scam. He replied that, no, this was them. Actually, it was their paid solicitor(Swear By Me, LLC). He told me the guy misspoke and there was no event that weekend. The guy never told me he was a solicitor and gave the impression he was with the Sheriff's department. I filed a complaint with the Ohio Attorney General's office. They followed up, but they wouldn't tell me what action they took. I found 2 filings about this charity, one stated that they kept 30% of the donations, another said they kept 70%. Not sure which is true.
Fast forward to this past Wednesday. I get a call from Richard Davis from the Akron Blue Knights asking for a donation for Shop With A Cop, since I gave last year(I did not). First, I can't believe how stupid this guy was for not taking my name off their list. So I ask him how much of my donation goes to the kids. He was evasive, so I asked again. He said "All of it". I then asked him if he was getting paid. Again, he was evasive, so I asked again. He said "I am retired". He then quickly ended the call and said he would send me something in writing. I have filed another complaint with the Ohio Attorney General's office, but it is obvious the last complaint didn't fix the problem. At the very least, this is a dishonest charity since they won't disclose that they are using a paid solicitor. My firm belief is that someone is lining their pockets with these donations.
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