SOUTHINGTON, CT -- Two teens used YMCA fund-raising as a ruse in a scam and could face fraud charges if caught, according to WFSB 3, a television station in Hartford, CT.
A Southington, CT, resident fell victim to the scam and talked to the television station to warn her neighbors. Two teens showed up at her door selling magazines to support their soccer team. The woman bought a magazine and made a donation, the station reported.
YMCA-Southington spokesman John Myers told the television station that it was a scam and that the Y is worried about how the scam will impact their legitimate fund-raising.
"We don't even have a team that plays soccer," Myers says. "Our group and other groups in town work really hard to raise money, so this just hurts and makes people say, 'I'm not so sure about giving to the Y right now.'"
The YMCA received reports that the teens hit every single house in several Southington neighborhoods over a span of several days, and police said three people have filed complaints.