Be aware of "Giving Tuesday" Scams

“Giving Tuesday” has been celebrated for more than five years, it’s the time to give to those charities that hold a special place to you but it’s also the time that scammers use to attack.

Since 2012, the Tuesday after Thanksgiving is dedicated to being charitable by giving your time or making donations to a special cause. It’s called “Giving Tuesday”. Although it’s a time to be a cheerful giver, it's also the perfect setup for scammers.

“Because it’s the holidays and people are wanting to give back to the community”, said MPD Sgt. Heather Luebbers” “It’s a time of giving so they play on that vulnerability of people wanting to give so they take that as an opportunity to try and scam people.”

In the last two years, more than two billion dollars was donated during giving “Giving Tuesday”.

Experts say the same tactics that are used to trick you into thinking you’re getting a great deal, are used to get you to donate.

John O'Hara, CEO of Better Business Bureau of Mississippi, explained some of the ways scammers get the upper hand.

“There are fake charities or Facebook kind of things. They do the GoFundMe when they say, “Hey this person is sick.” People read the story and they start giving money. Or they say someone needs an operation and people don’t know if they are sick and they give money to lord knows who. There are charities who don’t really give a lot of the money to the program so those are things people should look for.”

Experts say by researching the charity before you donate could prevent donation scams. To find out other tips on how to donate wisely you can visit https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/