I am all in favor of this fundraiser. The problem is, with so many scams going on now, it is impossible to tell if the caller is legit or not. Last year we received at least 20 calls supposedly from some type police agency all claiming to be either police or state patrol,etc. All claiming to be representing Lake county or the state of Florida law-enforcement.

You are given no option to check these out before making a pledge. And it's very hard to check such...for instance, abut a week ago I received another call from the FOP for Lake County who assured me all funds are kept in Lake County. I had to make a pledge before getting information other than 'hearsay' on the phone. When I received the material giving me info where to mail my check,etc. It stated it was Lake County Lodge #16. I went to the internet for FOP Lake County and the only lodge #16 that I found was one in Pennsylvania.
The letter has at the bottom Lady Lake Lodge #16 and Mount Dora Lodge #17. I still have not been able to confirm these lodges online by googling. Plus the list of proceeds distrubutions did not include fallen officers.

Please advise if these are legitimate?