Mahalo for supporting Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Enjoy this free story!
The state attorney general’s office issued a cease-and-desist order Thursday against an Oregon-based organization going door to door in Windward Oahu seeking charitable donations to send care packages to overseas military members.
Freedom United Sales LLC is not a nonprofit organization, said Hugh Jones, supervising deputy attorney general. Donations to the group are not tax-deductible, and its financial records cannot be tracked, Jones said.
The Better Business Bureau of Oregon has put out a consumer alert about Freedom United Sales, indicating it is affiliated with Smartraiser LLC. The Oregon attorney general has issued a "scam alert" about door-to-door sales by Smartraiser representatives.
Jones said, "Obviously here in Hawaii we have a very strong connection to active military, and we all want to support them, and it’s easy to fall prey to a pitch to support a military cause."
"What’s concerning is that we have no way of knowing how the money being donated is being spent," he said. "We’re very concerned that the only ‘care packages’ being received are by the owners of this company."
Jones said the attorney general’s office is unaware of how many people have been reached by Freedom United Sales.
Jones said he learned of the organization Monday night when someone representing the group knocked on his door soliciting a donation.
Residents can report interactions with Freedom United Sales by calling the Tax Division of the attorney general’s office at 586-1480.
75