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Attorney
General Mike DeWine
Attorney
General DeWine Charges Professional
Solicitor with Charitable Law Violations
(COLUMBUS,
Ohio) – Ohio Attorney General Mike
DeWine today announced a lawsuit against Massachusetts-based Integral
Resources
Inc. for multiple violations of Ohio's Charitable Organizations Act.
The
Attorney General also was granted a request for a temporary restraining
order
to stop Integral Resources from soliciting in Ohio.
"This
professional solicitor misled Ohioans
about who it was and how donors' money would be used," Attorney General
DeWine said. "We are pushing to stop its deceptive campaigns in
Ohio."
Integral
Resources is a professional solicitor
based at 1972 Massachusetts Ave in Cambridge. It contacted Ohioans via
phone to
solicit for various charitable organizations, including Amnesty
International
USA and Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
According
to the lawsuit, Integral Resources
failed to notify potential donors that calls were coming from a
professional
solicitor (versus a charity) and misrepresented how much of donors'
contributions would go to the charity. For example, it said that 100
percent of
a donation would go to the charity, when in reality only one percent of
gross
revenue would go to the charity. In one campaign, Integral Resources
raised
$33,539 on behalf of Amnesty International USA but failed to make any
payments
to Amnesty International.
The
Attorney General's lawsuit also charges
Integral Resources with failing to properly register with the Ohio
Attorney
General's Office and breaching its fiduciary to charities. In the
lawsuit, the
Attorney General seeks permanent injunctive relief, full restitution,
and civil
penalties.
Individuals
who receive calls seeking a
donation should take the following steps to protect themselves:
• Ask
questions about who is calling. Professional solicitors, who are paid
by
charities to solicit on their behalf, must provide basic information
about the
charity, in addition to the solicitor's own name, status as a
professional
solicitor, and if requested, the percentage of gross revenue that will
be
retained by the charity.
• Ask
for written information before sharing bank or credit card information
over the
phone.
• Look
for warning signs, including overly aggressive tactics or callers who
are
unable or unwilling to answer questions.
• If
you feel uncomfortable at any point during a call, hang up.
Due
to the temporary restraining order,
Integral Resources currently is not allowed to solicit in the state.
Ohioans
who receive a call from Integral Resources should contact the Ohio
Attorney
General's Office at 800-282-0515 or www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov.
A
copy of the lawsuit and temporary restraining
order is available on the Ohio Attorney General's website.
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