Beware of Fire Department Phone Solicitation

A company claiming to be “the nation’s finest children’s help organization and public safety group” has been making calls to solicit funds for local fire departments, according to one high ranking official in the Holtsville Fire Department.

The company, known as the Fundraising Information Center, according to a recording on its 845 area code phone number, asks people to donate funds for their local fire departments. All fire departments in the Sachem community, however, – Holtsville, Holbrook, Farmingville and Ronkonkoma – all confirmed Thursday morning that they do not solicit donations over the phone or hire a company for such a task.

A simple Google search for Funding Information Center leads you to a company based in Fort Worth, Texas. A representative from that company said they provide nonprofits and donors with information, education and other assistance and are not affiliated with the other organization in question.

The representative, who wished to remain anonymous, said she receives two or three phone calls a year regarding the same issue about another Funding Information Center.

“It's some kind of scam,” she said. “There are several Funding Information Centers throughout the country. It pops up and I get a letter from the other company saying to cease and desist. We don't fundraise to the public."

The 845 phone number is based out of the Hudson Valley in New York. Two calls to their number went unanswered with a simple message using their tag line, but no way to get through to any customer service representatives.

Most local fire departments begin their fund drives at this time of the year with information passed around through the mail.