RUMFORD — Contrary to what a scammer would have people believe, Davis Florist is not affiliated with a scheme to supposedly wire money to children in India.

Longtime Davis Florist employee Diane Mitchell said Friday afternoon that she wanted to alert customers and the public to the scheme on behalf of owner Sherry Milligan.

“We just want to stop it quickly so that no one gets caught giving out their credit card information thinking they’re doing something great for someone on our behalf when that’s not the case,” Mitchell said.

They learned of the scam Thursday morning when a customer called.

The customer, Mitchell said, “told us that she had received a call and it was a foreign voice, and he said he was calling on behalf of Davis Florist and was seeking donations to help feed the children of India.”

Mitchell said the wary customer told the man, “No way,” hung up the phone and contacted Rumford police and Davis Florist.

Rumford police issued a statement Friday, stating a Rumford resident took a phone call from an unknown number “claiming to be doing a fundraiser on behalf of a Rumford business.”

Rumford police do not identify victims. However, Mitchell said Milligan wanted it made public that Davis Florist was targeted.

Police identified the call as a scam.

Since then, Mitchell said they’ve learned through social media site Facebook that donations were also sought from other Davis Florist customers.

“There’s been other customers that have gotten the same call,” she said. “One lady received three calls within 24 hours.”

That’s why Mitchell and Milligan are being proactive in getting the word out, especially to customers who like to make legitimate donations on behalf of the Congress Street business to Relay for Life.

“We’re concerned, especially for the older people, because they might give out their credit card numbers believing this is a link with us, but it’s not,” Mitchell said.

While people can and do wire flowers from Davis Florist to people from across the country, the business doesn’t wire money to India or anyplace else.

“We don’t even send flowers there,” Mitchell said. “I’ve been with this company 27 years and never had anything like this.”

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