Scammers target Santa Monica residents

Fundraising is a huge part of every Samo club, sport and program alike. Fundraising helps students raise money for necessary causes, but it has recently been discovered that Samo students aren’t the only ones benefiting from fundraising. Scammers impersonating Samo students were asking Santa Monica residents for donations and money for magazine subscriptions. These alleged Samo students claimed to be selling subscriptions for the Samo Regional Occupation Program. This program helps students learn real world skills like choosing a college major and filling out scholarship applications. Students receive help with work permits, and are provided opportunities to find internships. The ROP program helps students out tremendously, but students are not currently participating in door-to-door fundraisers. The Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District sent out a statement to parents of Samo students confirming the incident. “We have recently learned that young people posing as Samohi students are going door to door asking for donations or selling magazine subscriptions allegedly supporting the Samohi Regional Occupational Program (ROP),” SMMUSD said. “This message is to inform you that the Samohi ROP program is not currently conducting a magazine fundraiser or seeking donations door to door, and we would like to caution you about this scam.”The statement went on to inform the parents that any Samo organization or club participating in magazine sales will always have a Samo student photo identification ready. By asking for a student identification card, and more information on the fundraiser, it’s easy to distinguish a real Samo student. The district also encouraged parents to share the warning with neighbors and other Santa Monica residents to avoid more mishaps. Additionally, parents were reminded of the school’s gratitude for real donations.“Please share this notice with neighbors that may not have students currently attending our schools and thank you for your ongoing support of our legitimate fundraising efforts,” SMMUSD said. Community & Public Relations Officer of SMMUSD, Gail Pinsker, shared that this isn’t the first time an incident like this has occurred in Santa Monica.“We did hear about this last fall, as well, and also sent a message to parents to be alert. It is likely that this happens in many communities with strong support for the school and district, like we have here in Santa Monica,” Pinsker said.From here Santa Monica residents need to be vigilant for anyone pretending to be a Samo student. Pinsker shares how to prevent a scam like this from happening again. “Parents, students and community members need to be alert. The best thing to do is to ask for Samohi ID and or contact the organization they say is involved before donating or buying anything to make sure it’s legitimate,” Pinsker said.