Tips to avoid charity scams during the holidays

For many people, the holiday season is a time to giveback. It’s also the time of year when scammers ramp up their efforts to take advantage of your goodwill to steal your hard earned money.  

Virginia Tech cybercrime expert Katalin Parti explains that charity scammers typically impersonate other successful charities. “They may call you using a local phone number,” says Parti. “That tactic can give you a false sense of security.” 

Once they get you on the line, it’s time for the scammer to make their pitch. “It will be a good one. It will tug at your heart-strings,” says Parti. “But listen closely because they will never actually specify how they will help. They may even claim that you’ve donated before and ask you to do it again.”

Parti recommends keeping the following in mind when giving this holiday season:

• Do your research. Use the IRS tax-exempt organization search tool or a watchdog like Charity Watch to get more information and learn if the charity is credible. Google also works.
• Pay close attention to the charity name and website. False charities like to mimic other popular charities. If it seems too close in name to another, it might not be real.
• Keep track of your donations. Even if you accidentally donate to a scammer, you need to ensure that the donation isn't recurring.
• Don't give away all your personal information. Of course it's normal to provide your card information, but don't do the same with your Social Security number or bank account number.
• Don't make a cash donation. Unless you're certain about a charity's credibility, don't give away cash, gift cards, or cryptocurrency.

For more advice on avoiding holiday scams, click here.

About Parti

Katalin Parti is an assistant professor with the Department of Sociology in the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences at Virginia Tech. Her research focuses on both the offender and victim sides of cybercrime, sexual violence, and online manipulative scams targeting older people. Parti is a certified mediator and holds a European Certificate in Cybercrime and Electronic Evidence. She is also a coauthor and co-editor of Juvenile Justice and Schools: Policing, Processing, and Programming (San Diego: Cognella, 2020).

Schedule an interview

To schedule an interview with Katalin Parti, contact Margaret Ashburn in the media relations office at mkashburn@vt.edu or 540-529-0814.