Fear To Fierce

Since the IRS approves whether an organization is tax-exempt and/or 501c3, they provide a convenient search tool to verify if an organization claiming to be "tax exempt" or "non-profit" is in fact one. That search tool can be found at: https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/

As of 5/28/24, that search tool does not show any results for "Fear To Fierce" or any combination of those. We will let our readers Google around on the legalities of calling an organization tax-exempt when it is not. 

If you suspect bad actors or potential fradulent activity, please help the IRS fight fraud at these links:

https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/irs-complaint-process-tax-exempt-organizations

https://www.irs.gov/compliance/reporting-other-information-to-the-irs

An organization conducting business in Florida also generally needs to be registered with the Department of State (called "Sunbiz"). Some limited exceptions may apply. But especially if the organization is FL-based, it should be on Sunbiz.

Sunbiz provides a convenient search tool to verify if an organization is registered with the Florida Department of State. That search tool can be found at:  https://dos.fl.gov/sunbiz/search/

As of 5/28/24, that search tool does not show any results for "Fear To Fierce" or any combination of those words. Similarly, since Sunbiz allows you to search by Officer name, the authors searched for Elizabeth Teckenbrock. Her previous "ventures" show up, but not Fear to Fierce,

If you suspect bad actors or potential fradulent activity, the Florida Attorney General is interesting in taking serious action against charity & other fraud prevalent in Florida. Please consider reporting here:

https://www.myfloridalegal.com/consumer-protection/how-to-protect-yourself-charitable-solicitations

You will notice on the Fear To Fierce website that the "Donate" button & links are prominently placed. So the money that is being generously donated is going into SOME bank account. The question is: whose bank account?

Assuming that Fear To Fierce is not an actual organization with an EIN number per the above research by the authors, Fear To Fierce would not easily be able to open a bank account. So then, is the money being directed to someone else's account? An individual? Another "organization"?

The authors are continuing research especially in this area. The web hosting platform, payment processor & banks are being contacted to see where the money is going, and if they have any tax-exempt information from this Fear-To-Fierce organization. This page will be updated if/as more information is available.

If you feel that your hard-earned money has been misused, you should definitely consider filing a police complaint. Please also call your County's state attorney's office to ask how you can get your money back.  And here is a link to Florida Consumer Services so you can file a complaint: https://www.fdacs.gov/ConsumerServices

Remember, if you feel that you have been defauded, not doing anything about it will only end up with more victims. See something, do something.

One of the things that makes our country great is that Americans are very giving. We give back to our community, we give back to tax-exempt charitable organizations, we give to causes closest to our hearts.

But there will always be bad actors that try to take advantage of Americans' generosity. The FTC has this amazing article on how to research & give cautiously to the right organizations: https://consumer.ftc.gov/features/donating-safely-and-avoiding-scams

Mostly, organizations will check out and you will feel amazing to have made an impact. Made a difference. But if things looks less than clean then readers should consider doing something about it. No action could result in more victims & more success for any potential bad actors.

Here are a few links (in addition to filing a police complaint and calling your state attorney):

https://www.fdacs.gov/ConsumerServices

https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/irs-complaint-process-tax-exempt-organizations

https://www.irs.gov/compliance/reporting-other-information-to-the-irs

https://www.myfloridalegal.com/consumer-protection/how-to-protect-yourself-charitable-solicitations