COLUMBIA, S.C. - A telemarketing firm accused of improperly soliciting money has been banned from working in South Carolina for five years, according to Secretary of State Mark Hammond.

The North Carolina-based On Guard Services Inc. also must pay a $2,500 fine, Hammond said.

In June, Hammond asked a court to stop On Guard Services from asking South Carolinians to donate to a Greenville police union.

Hammond said the telemarketer failed to tell people it was raising money for a union and misrepresented how much of the money collected went to the organization. Only about 25 percent of the money raised goes to the charity. They also said the contributions were tax deductible when they were not.

On Guard Services previously has been fined for similar violations. According to records, the telemarketer netted more than $1.2 million from charitable solicitations between 1998 and 2003.