Mail scam

A letter with the headline, "Weatherford City Council members need to hear from you!" visible through the envelope window could get any citizen’s attention. However, according to various sources, the money solicited from the National Police Association does not go where you may think.

The letters mention how well maintained your neighborhoods are and asks for you to vote "yes" on a so-called Quality of Life Policing Petition that will be presented to the Weatherford City Council. It then asks for you to donate so the association can continue its "Quality of Life" policing.

It sounds well meaning, but on the back of the letter, beneath 40 lines of literally zero-spaced illegible jargon is a small disclaimer stating the National Police Association is not affiliated with any law enforcement agency. The letter ends with bold face font, "Won't you please send just $5 now to help restore sensible law enforcement in our nation!"

Charity Navigator, an online non-profit service designed to track and publish the performances of charity organizations, gives the National Police Association a zero-star "very poor" rating.

Lynn Baber, a regular attendee of Weatherford City Council meetings, brought the subject up at November's meeting, and the council agreed the letter was cleverly deceiving.

"If my mother was still with us, Baber added, "she would have thought it was from the city council and would have sent money in a heartbeat,"

Furthermore, your information may be sold to other soliciting organizations. Jane Ridley, a reporter for “Business Insider,” related an incident in 2023 when she donated $25 via credit card to a phone solicitor claiming to represent her New York police department. She is normally skeptical of such things, but had a positive experience at her police precinct earlier that day and thought the call to be related. 

"Since then, I've received between five and 10 calls a day from vague 'organizations' demanding money," she wrote.

Any solicitation, if by mail, email or phone, should not be acted upon immediately but the assumed benefiting organization should be contacted directly first. If the organization is accepting contributions, they will be happy to accept your donation personally. If you believe you have been a victim of a scam, gather what information you have on your situation and report it online at www.texasattorneygeneral.gov.