Holiday Giving: Shop Wisely for a Reputable Charity
Posted December 2, 2013 12:05 pm
TALLAHASSEE,
FL - During the holiday season, millions of Americans
will venture out to big and small retailers in search of
the best deal for their holiday gift giving, and experts
advise them to have the same diligence when it comes to
picking their charity.
According to AARP, older Americans are more likely to receive charitable solicitations than any other group, and not all requests are legitimate, warns Doug Shadel, author of AARP's "Outsmarting the Scam Artists."
"There's a lot of charitable solicitations going on out there that really tug at the heartstrings, whether it's disabled veterans or anything having to do with disasters, and so you really just got to be careful about that," he cautions.
Links:
•
FL Div of Consumer Services
•
AARP Fraud Watch
Shadel advises seniors and others to be cautious of
charities whose names are similar to better-known
organizations.
You can also request written information, avoid cash
gifts and ask for a receipt.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, nearly 25
million Americans are victims of consumer fraud every
year.
You can check to see if a charity is registered in
Florida by checking with the state's Division of
Consumer Services.
Shadel also says to ask the person requesting the
donation more about how the donations are used and how
much goes to operating costs versus the actual cause it
claims to serve.
"A lot of times, charitable solicitors will try and get
you into kind of a heightened emotional state around
their charity," he explains. "The best way to avoid that
is at the beginning of every year, come up with your own
charitable giving plan."
To receive alerts on the latest scams and schemes,
consumers can sign up for the AARP Fraud Watch Network
on the organization's
website.
Photos/graphics and links added by the Observer: Photo: the Financialist