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For many Americans, the holidays represent a season of goodwill and giving to others. For fraudsters, this creates a prime opportunity to deceive unsuspecting individuals by impersonating charity organizations and soliciting “donations” in person, by phone, or via fraudulent websites.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) provides the following tips to help avoid falling victim to fake charity scams:
- Verify first. Scammers frequently use names that sound like well-known charities to confuse people. Potential donors should ask the fundraiser for the charity’s exact name, website, and mailing address so they can independently confirm the information.
- Don’t give in to pressure. Scammers often pressure people into making an immediate payment. In contrast, legitimate charities are happy to get a donation at any time. Donors should not feel rushed.
- Don’t give more than needed. Scammers are on the hunt for both money and personal information. Taxpayers should treat personal information like cash and not hand it out to just anyone.
- Be wary about how a donation is requested. Never work with charities that ask for donations by giving numbers from a gift card or by wiring money. That’s a scam. It’s safest to pay by credit card or check — and only after verifying the charity is real.
The IRS offers a searchable database of tax-exempt organizations to help provide additional peace of mind in validating the legitimacy of the charity you plan to donate to. This tool can be accessed via the IRS website at: https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos.
In addition to fake charity scams, the holiday season is a peak time for other types of financial fraud. Detective Marcos Rodriguez of the Miami-Dade Police Department’s Organized Crime Bureau states that many tried and true schemes continue to be leveraged by fraudsters during the holiday season. “Credit card and check fraud are still two of the most common issues that can lead to identity theft,” said Detective Rodriguez. “Staying alert for signs of fraudulent activity on your accounts and acting quickly if you suspect criminals are abusing your personal data can help,” he added.
So with the holiday season fast approaching, what can we do to protect our personal information and avoid falling victim to financial fraud?
The Miami-Dade County Police recommend the following:
- Shred old checks, receipts, bank and credit card statements, insurance forms, and other documents with personal information.
- Do not carry your social security card in your wallet or purse.
- Never reveal personal information when responding to an email, text, or phone call.
- Never share your debit or credit card’s Personal Identification Number (PIN) with anyone.
- Monitor your bank and/or credit union credit card statements carefully each month.
To learn more tips to help protect yourself against financial fraud, join EdFed Academy’s Avoiding Holiday Scams free webinar on Saturday, October 26, with special guest Detective Marcos Rodriguez from the Miami-Dade Police Department’s Organized Crimes Bureau. The webinar is scheduled from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and is available to the public.
To register, please visit www.edfed.org/webinar.
About EdFed
Established in 1935 by school employees in Miami, EdFed is a not-for-profit financial institution that serves more than 100,000 members with a full range of lending and deposit solutions. With over $1.6 billion in assets, EdFed is the largest credit union headquartered in Miami-Dade County and operates eight branch locations across South Florida.
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