VietNow; charity shuttered
David sends us a link to the Chicago Tribune which reports that the Illinois Attorney General has shut down the Rockford-based veteran charity known as VietNow, but also goes by the name VeteransNow because despite the $15 million that they’ve taken in, only a pittance made it to veterans;
he Rockford charity called VietNow National Headquarters Inc. raised more than $15 million during the past 10 years with appeals to help veterans racked by joblessness and post-traumatic stress disorder.
But more than 80 percent of those donations were kept by for-profit telemarketers, records show, and much of the rest was used for administrative costs.
According to VietNow’s lawyer, it wasn’t their fault;
Carl Metz, ViewNow’s attorney, said charity members are mostly Vietnam veterans who volunteered their time to help fellow veterans and the homeless. He said none of VietNow’s officers benefited financially from their charity work. Records show officers did not receive compensation, according to the most recent tax filing.
“Their motives were altruistic,” Metz said. “Unfortunately, they relied upon professional fundraisers to raise money and to assist them in complying with the necessary financial regulations. This reliance ultimately lead to the unfortunate downfall of VietNow.”
Yeah, well if you don’t know what you’re doing, that’s when you should un-ass the business, do not wait until you’re being investigated by the AG’s office. The people who profited from their ignorance are still out there running around ripping off other ignorant people, or rather, people who will claim ignorance when they’re caught.
Category: Phony Vet Charities
Oh, thank GOD for small favors!!!!!
I wondered if they were EVER EVER going to be shut down. Finally, they were. Thank you, Haysus!!!
Hack Stone has received multiple calls soliciting donations for the Maryland State Police Benevolence Association wanting to send Hack a sticker showing that he supports the police. Hack’s donation will help support the families of fallen state troopers. So Hack asks the solicitor how much goes to the families, and they inevitably dance around the answer with “No less than 10%.” Hack follows up with “Do the families ever get more than 10%?” Yet again they will respond with “Not less than 10%”. If you want to get them to hang up real fast, tell them that the call is being recorded for legal purposes.
It always pissed me off that their big selling point included that sticker. Not one time in over 20,000 traffic stops did that sticker affect my enforcement action. It was, however, used as a shield by the violator a high percentage of the time.
You mean the poser sticker that screams “I’m going to break the law and then try to hide behind a $100 donation”? It’s not uncommon hereabouts to see a several year arc of those things on someone’s vehicle… I guess so cops can spot serial offenders.
You noticed that, too?
Was at a drug interdiction course put on by troopers who pointed out that “nobody supports the troopers association. I don’t even give them money.” When pointing out the sticker is used as cover.
I always enjoy asking just how much of my donation goes to the cause and enjoy hearing them cuss when I say something like “Well I’ll offer that in person to whoever is pulling me over versus your sticker.” and DAY-UM do I get those telepests a’cussing at me!! (I’ve made it a hobby to see how quickly I can make them cuss and hang up every time they bug me)
Hack will say to the supervisor “If you only give 10% of my Dollar to them, I’ll just give them 25 cents directly, they get 250% more than they would get through you, and Hack saves 75 cents.”
About time someone took down this scam “charity”.
Quite a few years back I was getting phone calls & receiving solicitations in the mail from them. A couple of times I received billings from them stating that they were still waiting for “X” number of dollars that I had supposedly promised to donate to them and that this could negatively affect my credit history if I didn’t send them the money. I made a call to them to their headquarters in Illinois stating that if they wished to pursue this matter, that I would file a lawsuit against them. Never heard from them again.
I did some research with Charity Navigator & others and found that they were one of the worst charities around. Can’t remember his name right now, but one of the founders and his wife were the top two officers in this “charity”.
Interesting, I just checked out their website and it suddenly went “poof”. They still have a Facebook presence, however.
https://www.facebook.com/VietnowNational/
Speaking of scams, I continue to receive calls informing me that the IRS Law Enforcement Division or some such is outside with a visual of my house and my arrest is imminent. A few weeks ago I was called and informed that I missed a jury summons and police were on the way with warrant and cuffs. I told him he was FoS. To “prove” he was valid, he named the local high school he had attended. I laughed so loud I burst a vessel in my eye. That REALLY pissed him off. I told him I was calling the cops with his number off caller ID. (I really DON’T have caller ID, BTW). The local ABC news twinkies did a story informing the public. Oh, how I despise white collar criminals.
Speaking of scams, some company called Acceptance keeps calling me to tell me my insurance payment is due on whateverday and I can pay it over the phone.
Since I know what companies insure me for anything, I know it’s a scam, but just once, I’d like to let these twits know I’ll call the IRS/some LEAgency on them if them don’t stop.
I keep getting these calls from some outfit asking if I have smoke alarms and fire extinguishers in our home, I respond by telling them how our house is watched over and protected by The Great Flying Spaghetti Monster and their replies have gone from “Thank you” to “Fuck you, go to hell, asshole.” my hobby with Telepests is to see just how quickly I can make them cuss and hang up!
ALL or at least 95% of the phone calls you get to donate to Police charites are bogus, especially these so called benevolent associations.
If they are semi legit, usually 20% or less is actually donated.
https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0085-fundraisers-calling-behalf-police-and-firefighters
http://fox6now.com/2016/08/18/police-charity-imposters-watch-out-for-donation-scam-phone-calls/
https://www.policefoundation.org/fraud-alert-calls-soliciting-donations-for-the-police-foundation/
Ask for the callers name, business address and phone number. After doing this look it up on Google.