This company seems to be branching out into Minnesota as well as reports I have read in the South and Western parts of the US.
This company has hit my neighborhood at least twice in the last year and each time it is a similar story: Two girls came by this past week and indicated they were raising money for their club soccer team. They said they lived in a nearby development and started dropping names of neighbors who had "contributed" to them. They were so persistent and professional and I am a sucker for a good cause that I gave them a check.
My first suspicion was raised when they asked that I not write one check but two separate ones so they could each get "points". My second suspicion was when they started quizzing me on the next neighbor they were going to hit. It all sounded too professional for high school kids. As they went to the neighbors, I quickly called the number on the receipt and when I got a recording, I decided to check the company out on the internet. After I saw some info, I went outside and asked them to come back to my house as they were just leaving the neighbors. When I asked for my checks back, they actually made me feel a little guilty for a bit with their indignation until I offered to call their "soccer mom" on the spot to verify.
They quickly left the neighborhood before hitting anyone else. Unfortunately, they had gotten 3 of my neighbors already and one of them had given them a cash donation of over $200. Ouch.
Although I do blame the kids who let themselves be talked into lying for a living, the real scumbags in this operation are the "entrepeneurs" who own this operation and make their entire living off of the kindness of decent people in our country. It is businesses like this that make people in our country cynical and mean spirited after they have been ripped off.
Ultimately, the greatest shame of their legacy is the number of legitimate charities that do not recieve help because people are afraid of being taken advantage of. Not only rip off decent people trying to help others, they make it much harder for anyone that is asked to help a charitable cause.
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