The Bureau of Consumer Protection (BCP) of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) offers the April 1997 consumer alert entitled "Public Safety Fund-raising Appeals: Make Your Donations Count." The text is available in PDF format. The FTC offers advice for those interesting in making contributions to fund raisers for fire and police service organizations. The FTC suggests such precautions as asking how one's contribution will be used, asking the organizers for identification, and questioning if the contribution is tax-deductible.
System Details
System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Mode of access: Internet from the FTC web site. Address as of 7/8/03: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/alerts/badgealt.pdf; current access is available via PURL.
