TOWER- When a man purporting to be collecting donations for the scholarship fund for the VFW in Cook came to the Tower Café last week, owner Jen McDonough’s spidey-sense awakened.
“He said he was raising money for local scholarships, but only wanted a donation in cash,” she said.
“He was confident and acted as though this was normal, and he told me that Bob down at the gas station can vouch for me, and Randy from Good Ol’ Days used to donate all the time,” she said.
McDonough noticed that he didn’t have any documentation on the scholarship program he purported to be raising funds for.
“I asked him to send me a link through our Facebook page so we could verify the cause,” she said, “and he seemed offended.”
McDonough sent out an email to other Tower businesses notifying them of the potential scam, and also notified the Breitung Police Department, which issued a press release noting that the person was not affiliated with the Cook VFW, and asked any other businesses who had been contacted by this individual to contact the police department.
The next day, the individual was back in Tower, this time soliciting a donation at Ubetcha Antiques. The store quickly dialed 911, and police chief Dan Reing was able to stop and interview the adult male.
“Apparently this person has been coming to businesses for years collecting under what appears to be false pretenses,” Reing said. “The gentleman was spoken to. The investigation is ongoing.”
Reing said he does not believe that any money was given out to this person this year, but that money had been in past years.
“I have confirmed that he did not have permission to solicit funding this year for the Orr Legion or the Cook VFW,” Reing said. “Obviously, there is no threat to the public. I have just asked everyone to be aware and report suspicious activity.”
Reing asked that if any other businesses have given money to an individual claiming he’s from the Cook VFW or Orr Legion to contact him, and specifically look to see if they have any copies of checks or documentation on such “donations.”
“It appears there is a person that has been collecting for years from local businesses,” Reing said.
The Breitung Police Department can be reached at 218-753-6660.