During the season of giving, charities receive a much-needed rush of donations as people open their hearts to others. Unfortunately, criminals are all too willing to abuse this goodwill. According to a report from the Justice Department, Americans over the age of 60 lose over $3 billion a year to scams and fraudsters. As charity scams reach their peak, here’s what you need to do to ensure your donations aren’t lining the pockets of criminals. Stop Donating to Scammers How to Spot Fraud This Holiday Season NEVER GIVE BY PHONE OR EMAIL. Charities regularly reach out to past and potential donors through traditional mail, email, phone calls, or text messages. This means fraudsters will mimic their approach with less noble intentions. Because it’s impossible to determine who is on the other end of a call or email, you should never hand over your credit card information to strangers. If you really are speaking to a representative from a legitimate charity, they will direct you to a secure avenue where you can give without worry. FEELING PRESSURED? WALK AWAY. A lot of charities set goals they want to reach before the new year, but even groups that are hoping to raise a certain amount of money know better than to pressure donors into giving. Donations should always come from the
heart, and it’s a bad sign if someone insists there’s a deadline for giving. As the Better Business Bureau says, “Responsible organizations will welcome your gift tomorrow as much as they do today.” ONLY GIVE TO REPUTABLE CHARITIES. Do some research before donating to charities. Look up any prospective charity on Charity Navigator at CharityNavigator.org. This service flags “high concern” organizations suspected of fraud and ranks how reliable established charities are. Even legitimate organizations can be misleading about how they spend their donations. A good rule of thumb is to avoid organizations that spend more than 25 percent of donations on salaries or administrative costs. There are many amazing charities and organizations that do good work. Stay vigilant to make sure you are bringing joy to the world and not falling for a criminal looking to make a quick buck.
Patient
of the Month
JANINE CROSSLEY CELIAC KIDS CONNECTION
“When I was almost 2 years old, I was diagnosed with celiac disease. As I got older, I thought I was the only person out there who had it, since I was the only member of my family who had it. Then I became part of the celiac support group Celiac Kids Connection. This group taught my parents everything they needed to know to keep me healthy, and then I knew I was not alone.”
Janine has been with us at ProPT for about a year now and has undergone many surgical procedures during that time. All the while, Janine persisted and always did what was necessary to have a successful recovery. We will miss seeing her around the office, but we are happy to know she is doing great on her own!
– Janine Crossley
2 • www.ProPTinc.com | Professional Physical Therapy
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