Scam alert regarding fake D.A.R.E. solicitors

The Sheriff’s Office is warning Florida Keys residents about a group from mainland Florida soliciting residents on behalf of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program.

Lt. Charlene Sprinkle and Deputy Amie Szymanski met with the group at the Winn-Dixie parking lot in Marathon on Tuesday and found they did not have the proper permits. Deputies then shut down their operations.

Deputy Szymanski followed up and shut down other group members at several other parking lots in Marathon.

The incident came after the Key West Police Department reported a similar or same group soliciting in town. They were also found to be without the proper permits.

Note: The D.A.R.E. program as it was commonly known in the 1980s and 1990s no longer exists, though a similar program operates nationally under a different name and a different operational curriculum.

The group was believed to be operating countywide before law enforcement intervened.

The Sheriff’s Office and Key West Police are keeping an eye out for this group(s). Please help us spread the word.

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