Along with the winter holidays, many Arizonans are starting to see the return of calls, texts, emails and more asking them to start or increase giving charitable donations.
Richie Taylor with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office said one of the biggest red flags for potential scammers pops up early.
“The most important thing you can watch out for is how the individual is asking you to donate,” Richie said. “If they’re asking you to donate in cash or by gift card or by wiring money, or even by cryptocurrency, don’t do it.”
Even if it's too late to prevent the scam, he said, there are still options.
“You can dispute the charge with your credit card and hopefully get the money back that way,” said Richie. “If that’s unsuccessful or if you used another way to donate and you feel you’ve been scammed, you can report it to our office.”
He said the Better Business Bureau and online platforms like Charity Navigator are good tools to check ahead of donating if there’s any doubt about a group’s legitimacy.
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