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Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Wisconsinites Targeted in Car Donation Scam

Better Business Bureau says charity hasn't renewed expired license since 2006.

According to a press release from the Better Business Bureau: You may have seen the ads in local community newspapers or heard the radio ads, including a catchy jingle that says, “Be a star, donate your car.” The charity behind the advertisements is Heritage For The Blind, a Brooklyn, New York-based organization, that, according to its website, works to help the blind and visually impaired and offers free information about vision loss and eye disorders. It has no office in Wisconsin, but is heavily advertising here, currently asking people to donate their “vehicles, boats and RV’s” and is actually offering a “free 3-day vacation” for doing so.  According to the vacation offer’s details, “Donors will enjoy a 2-night hotel stay in the city …

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Better Business Bureau Offers Fraud Reminder

BBB says not all charities are legitimate, so be careful as 9/11 anniversary approaches.

The anniversary of the terroroist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, is quickly approaching, envoking painful memories and for some, the urge to give back. But the Better Business Bureau wants to remind donors to keep a watchful eye out as scammers may try to take advantage of those willing to help out. In a press release issued Thursday, the BBB took a look at a recent Associated Press investigation which found that many 9/11 charities “failed miserably” in serving victims, their families and their memories, while continuing to collect donations. This past week, the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs warned that a scammer was calling residents in Northeast Wisconsin fraudulently soliciting donations for a veterans’ clinic in Green Bay. More…

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