MORGANTOWN — Someone is calling around posing as a member of the Monongalia County Volunteer Fire Firefighters Association and asking for donations, which is something the association doesn’t do according to its president.
The association actually doesn’t raise money at all, President Bob Brookover said. Individual VFDs fundraise, but through traditional face-to-face methods, such as boot drives and spaghetti dinners.
“Nothing is done over the phone,” Brookover said. “We do not do business that way.”
The association holds monthly dinner meetings, discusses issues affecting the county’s volunteer departments and represents the departments when meeting with various organizations or the County Commission, Brookerover said.
John Pyles, a former Monongalia County commissioner, said he received four calls from the scammer or scammers over the weekend, all from out of state numbers.
Monongalia County Sheriff Perry Palmer confirmed he’s received several complaints about the scam.
He advised, as with any possible scam, not to give money to people over the phone. He also advised if in doubt about a call’s authenticity, to hang up, find an official number and call back.
