Vendor employee fired after making fraudulent claims collecting donations for FMPD

Author: Rich Kolko
Published: Updated:
Shop With A Cop event in 2018. (WINK News photo)
Shop With A Cop event in 2018. (WINK News photo)

An employee with an outside vendor hired to solicit on behalf of Shop With a Cop made fraudulent claims and has been fired.

A Fort Myers man said he got a phone call from someone claiming to be a police officer, and he wanted donations for Shop With a Cop.

Fort Myers Police Department released a warning to the public this morning claiming a potential scam call was spreading.

FMPD later said in a press release that the call was real, and an employee with an outside vendor made fraudulent claims and has now been fired.

At the actual ‘Shop With A Cop‘ event from last year, the Lee County Sheriff’s Office took 17 kids from Lehigh Acres to choose Christmas gifts for their families. It was all paid for by the deputies.

Police and deputies from all across the country participate in the event each year.

The donation call was real, but police said the third party employee made fraudulent claims. FMPD says if you ever get a call like this, the easiest thing to do is hang ip. Call the police to check if it is real.

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