Police say fire charity scammer called Pa. chief

NORTH EAST, Pa. (AP) — Police in northwestern Pennsylvania suspect a scam in which people are asked to donate money to disabled firefighters was nipped in the bud when the con artist called a wrong number: that of the local fire chief.

Crescent Hose Co. fire Chief Dave Meehl says the caller said he was “collecting money for disabled firefighters. Right off the bat, he said he took all major credit cards.”

When Meehl told the man he was the fire chief, the caller hung up.

Police in the Erie suburb of North East, where Meehl is chief, say they’ve had no similar complaints in recent days. But Meehl says others have told him they’ve gotten similar calls.

Police say people shouldn’t give credit information over the phone.