Indiana Scammers Claim To Raise Money For Firefighters

Solicitors who are pretending to be raising money for a group that represents firefighters have been discovered thanks to a call made to a firefighter's home. Calls have specifically focused on Hamilton County but officials warned that the false solicitors may be targeting other parts of central Indiana, 6News' Julie Pursley reported. Tony Murray, president of the Hamilton County Professional Firefighters Association, said callers are falsely representing the group, other firefighting organizations and burn centers. "I guess the biggest concern is that people may be taken advantage of unknowingly because they are claiming to be a department organization," Murray said. Gaylynn Mikesell of Westfield told 6News she got a call earlier this week from the scammers claiming to represent the Anderson Fire Department. She didn't send money because she became suspicious and because her husband is also a firefighter. The firefighter's union in Hamilton County said they were made aware of the calls when someone called a firefighter's home in Hancock County claiming to be raising money for Hamilton County firefighters. Murray said neither his union nor the Anderson Fire Department are soliciting money. "To our knowledge, nobody in the Indianapolis metropolitan area is doing phone solicitation," Murray said. Investigators asked anyone who receives the calls to write down the number if they have caller ID and ask for an address to send money. The Noblesville Police Department is investigating the calls. They can be reached at 317-773-1300.