GREENSBORO, N.C. — You may not know anyone in your local fire department, but you see them at parades, you know where the closest fire station is to you and you watch them talk about safety on TV.
So, if they did a fundraiser like a fish fry, a t-shirt, or a community event, you might give some cash to support them. That's what scammers are counting on.
A fire department in Michigan is sounding the alarm after text messages were sent out saying the fire department was offering limited edition t-shirts as a fundraiser. The text wasn't real.
The department used its Facebook page to make sure it could get the word out as fast as possible.
“It’s a little upsetting and shocking to us because we try to use Facebook as a tool to educate the public about fire safety tips and promote our events,” said Anthony Steward, Dowagiac Deputy Fire Chief.
The post says other fire departments have been hit with this as well and in fact, in the comments on the post, someone shows another department with the exact same text. The scammers don't deviate much. The wording is the same, just the name of the department has changed.
Scams travel fast. Don't be surprised if you see something like this with your local fire or police department.
A random text out of the blue is not how a real fundraiser is done. Look at the department's Facebook page or if you ever have questions, you need to call your local department, look up their number, don’t call 911.