We have been made aware of a possible phone scam taking place. Recently a retired police officer received a call from a male who stated that he was collecting money for the American Police officers Alliance. The phone number that came up was 267-843-1255. According to Google, the number was generated from the Philadelphia area. The male stated that the organization provided training and equipment for police officers across the nation and that funds were needed "to keep our officers safe.
The retired officer told the caller that he was a retired law enforcement officer and that he never heard of his organization, much less ever received any training or equipment funds from them. He asked the caller where they were located and how long they had been around. The caller thanked him and hung up. The retired officer tried calling the number back but received a recording that all of their agents were busy and to call back another time.
After searching for the "American Police Officers Alliance" on the IRS public website we could not find it listed with the IRS as a 527C nonprofit organization. We tried calling the number several times but each time we were greeted by a computer-generated voice indicating that all of their agents were busy at the time.
We urge you to be extremely cautious when receiving unsolicited phone calls asking for donations. Scam artists are generally smooth talkers and like to touch on buzz words or phrases. If you have a doubt about the legitimacy of a group, you can always check the IRS website at https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos.