COLORADO — If you're in the giving spirit, it’s also important to be on the lookout for people who may want to steal your money. News5 is looking at ways for you to stay safe this Tuesday and to make sure you're giving to an actual nonprofit.
International Financial Crime Consultant and Department Chair of Colorado State University Global, Dr. Micheal Skiba, also known as Dr. Fraud, says fraudulent activities increase 40-50% this time of year.
“They are looking for money out right but they’re also looking for personal information, so some sites might just look for you to start to log in and access information. That’s a huge, huge flag right there. If you’re making donation, unless you want to become a member of that organization, there’s no need to log in or create an account. This is another trick to gain personal information," said Dr. Skiba.
He further explained the multiple red flags you should watch out for. If you’re donating to a charity, check with resources like Guide Star or Charity Navigator to see if the organization is legitimate.
A nonprofit should have registered with the IRS and have a unique federal employer identification number, or "EIN." You can also put the name of the charity on Google and then type “scam” next to it. This way you can see if anyone is chatting online about possible fraudulent activity.
You may also see people trying to take advantage of you via email or phone. Make sure to hover over a link before clicking on it. If you can see a lot of numbers or extra letters in the link, you should avoid clicking it because it might be a sign of a bad website.
Avoid giving in any other type of currency such as crypto currency. The safest way to make a payment would be by credit card due to certain fraud protections you're offered with it.
You may see multiple opportunities to give on social media timelines. To be sure you're not being taken advantage of there, go to the actual charity’s website to donate instead of donating on the ad that pops up on your screen.
In 2023, people in the U.S. donated more than $3 billion to Giving Tuesday, according to data from givingtuesday.org.
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