Police warn of fake Police Officers Association scam
by Mark McDermott The Manhattan Beach Police Department is warning residents that if they receive a fundraising call from MBPD’s Police Officers Association, they should hang up and alert actual police. MBPD does indeed have a POA but that organization never fundraises by phone. MBPD Officer Jessica Borello said the calls are a scam in which criminals are exploiting the trust citizens place in law enforcement by impersonating MBPD officers in order to deceive them into giving them funds. “We do not solicit donations to the POA over the phone,” Borello said. “So none of us will call and say, ‘This is Officer Borello, or officer whoever,’ or ‘This is Manhattan Beach Police Department, do you want to give a donation to our association?’ We will not ask for your credit card or any personal information over the phone.” Police discovered the scam was occurring in late November when they received calls from residents about it. How many people fell victim to the scam is unknown. But Borello said that after MBPD posted on Instagram about the scam, one resident reached to say, “Oh no, I fell for it.” Likely, others did, too. Borello said such scams are common, especially in areas like…
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