Experts Warn of Holiday Scams

As the holidays are quickly approaching, many people are trying to find best deals. However, experts say it is the perfect opportunity for criminals to scam shoppers.Mid-Missouri experts are warning of potential scams, including donations to charities during the holiday season.”Look for an organization that has been doing the work that they want to do in the community for many years,” said Cindy Chapman of the Salvation Army. “You don’t want to go with someone who is just a new organization or has an unproven track record.”Some charities will ask for contributions over the phone or through texts, tweets or mail, but the Better Business Bureau says consumers should give with caution.”Make sure they are trustworthy sites but always just make sure you kind of do your own search, and you don’t trust some of the e-mails and texts that might come into you unsolicited,” said Mike Odneal of the Better Business Bureau.Therefore, it’s important to do your homework on the charity or organization.”You can check out those things to make sure those things are actually true,” said Odneal. “Don’t just trust the word of the charity or the unsolicited email you might have received from a charity.”Experts say you can do your research by searching through Google, seeing if the charity’s website looks real, and finding out how long the organization has existed.The BBB says there are numerous scams and not just for charitable tricksters. They say the main thing is to trust your intuition. The BBB asks anyone who has been a victim of a scam to contact the organization right away.If you feel as if you have been a victim of a scam, contact the BBB by calling 573-886-8965.