PHOTO: New Community Shelter
GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — New Community Shelter was recently targeted by an online scam that claimed to be a large donation.
Officials say what initially appeared to be a generous donation of nearly $90,000 was actually fraudulent.
“This was incredibly disappointing, and sad to know that even a local homeless shelter is not immune to a scam,” said Terri Refsguard, CEO of New Community Shelter, in a news release.
We rely on the generosity of donors to make our work possible. For someone to misuse that trust is frustrating, but it won’t deter us from moving forward with our mission.
New Community Shelter serves adults experiencing homelessness in Brown County. Over 88% of the its funding comes from donations from individuals, businesses and community organizations.
Refsguard says the timing of the scam comes at an especially difficult time. The shelter is in the midst of a major fundraising campaign to build a four-story, 41-unit housing complex designed to serve individuals who have completed the shelter’s programs but need additional support and stability.
At the same time, New Community Shelter is working to raise its annual budget to allow its critical programs to continue running.
The shelter team is cooperating with authorities and they are taking additional steps to protect against future scam incidents.
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