Attorney General Kelly A. Ayotte announced today the participation of her office with the Federal Trade Commission, the Attorneys General of 46 other states and other law enforcement officers in a nationwide crackdown on fraudulent charitable solicitation. The Federal-State initiative is called “Operation False Charity” and the sweep has led to the filing of law enforcement actions nationwide.

The FTC is providing educational materials at its website to help citizens recognize charitable solicitation fraud at www.ftc.gov/charityfraud.

The New Hampshire Attorney General’s Office has filed an action against “Autos for Animals LLC,” a for-profit entity that solicits motor vehicles from citizens of New Hampshire for charitable purposes. The for-profit entity has failed to register with the Attorney General’s Office and there have been complaints filed regarding the failure to convey designated funds to specific charities.

The Attorney General’s Office has also posted on its website a list of charities that have been closed and when their registrations terminated at www.doj.nh.gov/charitable http://doj.nh.gov/charitable (click on the headings “List of Closed Charities 2009” and “List of Closed Charities 2008.”). If a charity is not registered with the Attorney General’s Office, it cannot solicit funds in this state. A separate section of the Attorney General’s website contains “Ten Tips for Making Smart Donations.”