Janice Morse reports:
If you’ve received a letter seeking contributions to “The United States Deputy Sheriff’s Association,” be forewarned: The group no longer exists, authorities say.
Someone is fraudulently using the name of that now-defunct police group to solicit donations, the Warren County Sheriff’s Office says.
In a news release alerting the public to the scam, Sheriff Larry Sims said people are receiving letters purporting to come from that group, which was once-legitimate but no longer exists.
“The letter requests donations to support under funded Sheriff’s Offices throughout the country,” the news release said.
The address listed on the letters is a UPS mail drop box in Virginia, Sims said, and authorities in that state have launched a criminal investigation.
None of the letters had been reported received in Warren County but sheriffs in other Ohio counties have learned about citizens receiving such letters, Sims said.
Sims requests anyone who has received such a letter to contact his office at 513-695-1280.
“It is a shame these scam artists prey upon the well-meaning citizens who support law enforcement,” Sims said. “As with any charitable solicitation, I urge the public to investigate the charity before giving.”
