Police have cited two Bismarck boys with theft by deception after the boys' parents reported the children had collected money by pretending to be Boy Scouts raising money for foster children.

Bismarck Police Sgt. Dwight Offerman said the boys, who are 9 and 10 years old, allegedly went door to door pretending to collect money for foster children Tuesday afternoon from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. He said the boys' parents became suspicious when they returned to their homes with pop and candy.

The two sets of parents determined that none of the parents had given money to the boys, and they got to the bottom of the incident, Offerman said.

He said the boys, who were not wearing any sort of uniforms, collected $23. None of the alleged victims reported the incident to police, he said.

A police report did not say in what parts of town the boys are alleged to have been operating.

Erik Petersen, the assistant scout executive for the Northern Lights Council of Boy Scouts of America, said real Boy Scouts sell products if they go door to door for a fundraiser.

"We'd never go out and just ask people for donations," he said. "They usually have a product they are selling."

Petersen said the Boy Scouts will be going door to door starting Monday selling Trails End popcorn. In the spring, the boys sell candy bars.

"The boys do go door to door, and we encourage them to be in their uniforms," Petersen said, adding that Cub Scouts have blue uniforms and all other levels of scouts have tan uniforms. He said the uniforms also say "Boy Scouts of America."

The boys typically will sell their products in pairs, and an adult should be with them for safety reasons, he said. Customers will fill out an order form during the sale in October, and the products will be exchanged for money in November, Petersen said.

Petersen encouraged the parents of the boys involved in the incident to get them involved in scouting.

"It's unfortunate that it happened, and hopefully the boys will learn from their experience," he said.

Petersen said character development and earning one's own way are ideals Boy Scouts of America try to instill in scouts.

"This is a way to help boys understand that they don't get something for nothing," he said.

(Reach reporter Jenny Michael at 250-8225 or jenny.michael@;bismarcktribune.com.)