Charity donations, gift cards top the list for holiday scams

Posted on December 11, 2019
AARP Director of Fraud Prevention Programs Kathy Stokes suggests looking up a charity before donating. (Photo AARP.org)

 

By Neil Doyle

BLOOMINGTON – Scammers are trying to hack your information all year long, but especially during the holidays, according to an AARP survey.

AARP Director of Fraud Prevention Programs Kathy Stokes says a recent survey showed 20% of people failed a five-point fraud test.

“This time of year types of fraud we see are gift cards, charity donations, and package delivery,” said Stokes.

When it comes to charity donations, most people don’t check to make sure the charity is legitimate.

“Only about a third of people check out a charity before they give money, but people who do check out the charity, about half end up not donating.  That is because the charity doesn’t exist or the charity is keeping a majority of the money,” Stokes said.

For gift cards, Stokes suggests not buying the cards on the big racks in stores.  Instead, purchase cards from the company’s website or behind a store counter that are secure.

Other tips to avoid fraud can be found here.

Neil Doyle can be reached at [email protected]

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