Staff report
Student Elizabeth Le Cam's mother had a brain aneurysm last summer.
When a man came to Le Cam's door on Sept. 8 and said he was a UNM student raising money for the emergency response services by painting addresses on the curb, she assumed it was for a good cause.
"I saw him out there working, so I went inside to check on my mom," she said. "Then I came out a little later, and he was gone. All he'd done was paint over the number that was already there."
In Le Cam's neighborhood, near Wyoming Boulevard and Candelaria Road, there are at least 10 houses with white rectangles painted on the curb.
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The man was asking for $10 to $20 donations for his service, Le Cam said.
"I'm not angry that I gave him $10," she said. "I'm angry that he's using 911 for his scam."
The man is about 6 feet tall with short, blond hair, she said.
"He's really friendly," she said. "He shook my hand, and he's really polite."
Trey Smith, coordinator for Student Activities, said he hasn't heard of any such fundraisers.
"Student groups don't have to keep me informed of their fundraising activities, but I don't think there's any fundraising like this going on," he said.
