Are kids involved in a fundraising scam? Anna police investigate

By Erin Jones

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    COLLIN COUNTY, Texas (KTVT) — We’re all used to seeing children go door to door for school fundraisers, but in Anna, one community believes someone might be running a fundraising scam.

Tonja Gamble said when a little girl arrived at her door Sunday afternoon, something felt off.

“She said that she was selling popcorn and she was very soft-spoken,” she said. “I could barely hear what she was saying, and I said, ‘Well, I don’t have any cash.’ She said, ‘Well can you make a donation.'”

Gamble grabbed a few dollars.

“I gave it to her and I said, ‘Where is your mom?'” she said. “She said, ‘Well, I live in the neighborhood.’ I said, ‘Well that doesn’t matter.’ I just thought she had some irresponsible, lazy parents that were doing something else.”

Later, Gamble got on the Willow Creek Nextdoor page and saw other residents posting about similar interactions. Some reported seeing children get into a U-Haul van.

The Butlers said last November the same girl showed up at their door and they ordered popcorn from her.

“We didn’t receive the popcorn,” Sloane Butler said. “Actually, while she was here, I knew something was a little bit off.”

Like Gamble, she tried to learn more about her situation.

“I kept asking if she’s okay if her parents were around,” Butler said. “She actually asked if she could come inside and use the restroom. She asked for snacks and some juice.”

The Butlers said they alerted Anna police.

Police are investigating and told CBS News Texas, “We have received calls expressing concerns that this may be a scam, as Anna ISD has confirmed there are no verified school fundraisers currently taking place.”

“After seeing this, it’s heartbreaking,” Butler said. “It’s absolutely heartbreaking to see that someone is using children to scam people out of money.”

“I don’t know who is having her do this because she was young,” Gamble said. “She had to be no more than 10 years old.”

While police investigate, they’re encouraging residents to exercise caution.

Part of their investigation will include determining if the kids are from another school or school district and possibly are hosting a real fundraiser.

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