MARTINSBURG, W.Va.
&mdash Facing a handful of reporters in front and backed by representatives of a dozen area charities standing behind her, West Virginia’s secretary of state on Thursday announced her office’s role in a national campaign against fraudulent charities. Natalie E. Tennant said her office is beefing up its Web site to support Operation False Charity 2009, a nationwide crackdown on a practice known as “badge fraud.” Operation False Charity 2009 is aimed at telemarketers who falsely solicit funds on behalf of legitimate charities, especially police, firefighters and veterans groups. Information on the Web site will include how much money was donated to the charity in the last year, how much the charity spent on administrative costs and how much money went to those the charity is supposed to help, Tennant said. Tennant pledged her office will investigate every complaint it receives on fraudulent charities. She promised zero tolerance. Four cases of charity fraud were investigated last year, and her office’s investigative unit has opened two new cases this year. Tennant said 585 charities disbursed more funds in the state than they received from in-state donors, and 803 charities took in more than $30 million in donations from state residents, but disbursed no money in the state. She also said West Virginians contributed $411 million to licensed charities everywhere, and $615 million in nationwide donations were distributed in the Mountain State.
The event was part of a three-day swing through the Eastern Panhandle for Tennant. The swing included stops at the National Conservation Training Center outside Shepherdstown, W.Va. handing out scholarships to Washington High School students in Charles Town, W.Va. lunch with Rotarians in Berkeley Springs, W.Va. guest appearances on two local radio talk shows and today’s commencement for Blue Ridge Community and Technical College graduates.