Ky. Fire Officials Warn About Telephone Scam

Sept. 22--Lexington officials are warning of a possible scam involving telephone solicitations for the fire department.

Fire department officials released a statement Monday saying they are not making any such solicitations.

"We have been made aware of an organization soliciting donations on behalf of the Lexington Fire Department," the release said. "We would like everyone to know that the Lexington Fire Department, the Fraternal Order of Firefighters, and the International Association of Firefighters Local 526 are not currently seeking funds for any reason."

At least six people in the area have reported receiving such solicitation calls since last week, officials said.

"Some of those who have reported this said that the caller asks for checks to be mailed to Topeka, KS," the release said. "While the fire department, FOF, and Local 526 do raise funds throughout the year for events like Shop-with-a-Firefighter and the Lexington Firefighter Toy program, we are not currently asking for donations."

The department said you can check of the authenticity of a donation request, or see if an organization is affiliated with the fire department, by calling Fire Department community Services at (859) 231-5668 or (859) 231-5600 after hours. Anyone wishing to report suspicious activity should call Lexington police at (858) 258-3600.

JIm Warren (859) 231-3255. Twitter: @hlpublicsafety

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