Today, Texas celebrates Giving Tuesday, a nationwide day of giving for charitable causes. In light of common holiday scams and fraudulent charities, the Office of the Attorney General offers these crucial DOs and DON’Ts for Texans who want to give during the holiday season:
- Research and plan your giving to ensure your donations will do good.
- DO use these organizations to help you research charities.
- Consider how you will make your donation and be careful how you pay.
- DON’T give donations in cash, by gift card, or by wiring money to an unknown organization.
- DO be safer and donate by credit card or check.
- DO keep a record of all donations and review statements closely to make sure you’re only charged the amount you agreed to donate.
- DO make sure you know who is receiving your donation before clicking a link to donate online.
- DO read Donating Through an Online Giving Portal for more information.
- Keep scammers’ tricks in mind
- DON’T let anyone rush you into making a donation.
- DON’T fall for the trick of being thanked for a donation you never made.
- DON’T fall for a ‘sound alike’ charity.
- DO be aware that scammers can change caller ID to make a call look like it’s from a local area code.
- DO be aware that scammers make a lot of vague and sentimental claims but give no specifics about how your donation will be used.
- DO know that guaranteeing sweepstakes winnings in exchange for a donation is not only a scam, it’s illegal.
Consumers can report scams and fraudulent charities to the attorney general’s Consumer Protection Division by calling toll-free 1-800-621-0508 or by filing an online complaint at www.texasattorneygeneral.gov or FTC.gov/complaint.