Daniel Prince
Tips include researching charities before giving
The South Carolina Department of Revenue wants you to have a scam-free holiday season. Safety while donating to charity and while shopping online are two major areas of concern.
SCDOR recommends when donating to charities, ask for the name, mission, and location of the charity; ask how much of the donation will go to program services and how much will go to fundraising costs; be wary of solicitations that ask you to pay in cryptocurrency, prepaid debit cards, gift cards, wire transfer, or bank transfer—it could be a scam, and the money will be gone and difficult to trace; don’t give out personal information to someone soliciting a donation; research charities before donating at the SC Secretary of State’s website sos.sc.gov; and be careful of charities that pressure you to donate quickly.
When shopping online, be sure to do business with reputable, established vendors; be sure your information is being encrypted by looking for the closed padlock icon and https in your browser; beware of phishing emails that can look like they are from legitimate businesses; use a credit card rather than a debit card, as laws limit your liability for fraudulent credit card charges, but those protections may not be in place for your debit card; and check website privacy policies so you know how your information will be stored and used.