SOUTH BEND – Kids come to our doors for all kinds of school fundraisers, but the Better Business Bureau is warning about one in our area that is a scam.
Kids are apparently posing as high school students, asking for money.
The problem? That money is going right in their pockets.
The high school age kids apparently knock on a door, claiming they're selling tulips.
Their pitch - money raised in those tulip sales will help buy new basketball uniforms for the John Adams High School's basketball team.
The teens also refuse to accept a personal check, saying they can only take cash for the fundraiser, according to Adams High School Athletic Director Bill Groves.
In one case, he added, they refused to accept a $100 check from a woman who said the kids came to her door.
The high school first found out about the bogus fundraiser Monday when someone called asking if they'd ever accept a check for a fundraiser.
The Better Business Bureau also fielded at least one phone call from people complaining about the same thing, said BBB Area Director Dreama Jensen. That woman told the BBB she wrote the kids a check and they came back the next day asking for cash instead.
"If we had kids doing fundraising, they'd have order forms, they'd have proper identification with school letterhead and those kind of things," Groves said.
"Plus, these people are playing on the generosity of the elderly in our community."
Groves pointed out Adams High School's softball team does a flower sale fundraiser around the holidays.
If you have any questions about this scam or any others, contact the BBB at 574.675.9351.
