THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2021 Page 23 AG’s Office offers guidance on donating to charities ahead of holiday season I While some charities raise sional solicitors. “Thousands of charities in Massachusetts rely on donations to help provide critical services and resources to individuals and communities, especially as we continue to face challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Healey. “If you are in a position to give, be sure to do your research and make informed decisions in order to maximize the impact of your donation.” funds on their own, others pay professional solicitors to solicit donations from the public, and solicitors are required by statute to register with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office. Conventional professional solicitors fundraise through phone, mail and door-to-door campaigns. The 2020 Professional Solicitor Bulletin outlines the financial results that solicitors and charities report from campaigns conducted in Massachusetts in 2020, a year where many charities faced fundraising challenges due to the pandemic, with new restrictions around in-person events, along with cancelations and solicitations that were limited. In 2020, 44 conventional professional solicitors collected $93 million through campaigns conducted in Massachusetts. While the amount kept by professional solicitors varied widely among solicitors, only approximately $40 million ended up with the actual charities. The 2020 report is consistent with campaign reports from the last five years, in which conventional professional solicitors transferred less than 50 percent of funds they raised to charities. However, the total revenue that all professional solicitors reported as having raised in 2020 campaigns conducted in Massachusetts increased from approximately $950 million in 2019 to $1.2 billion in 2020. This increase is largely due to three professional solicitors that employed unconventional methods: an investment management firm fundraising for a donor-advised fund, an online fundraising platform that works with a related donor-advised fund, and a fundraising firm that targeted major donors. These three professional solicitors reported raising $1.12 billion for charities in 2020 and transferred nearly 99 percent of those funds to the charities. The AG’s Office encourages potential donors to ask questions when they are contacted by a professional solicitor: • Is the solicitor calling your The Naughty List: BBB’s 12 Scams of Christmas W hile 2021 is winding down, scams targeting the public continue to cause trouble. Consumers should watch out for any fraudulent schemes aimed at swiping their cash and stealing personal information. The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has a Naughty List with the top 12 scams of Christmas that are most likely to catch consumers and donors off guard during this season. Many of the scams on this list are facilitated through emails and social media platforms; however, the latter is where most people are vulnerable. Exercise caution when coming across social media ads about discounted items, event promotions, job opportunities and donation requests, as well as direct messages from strangers. If you are asked to make a payment or donation by wire or e-transfer, through third parties, by prepaid debit or gift cards, treat this as a red flag. Be mindful of these scams that could cut into your holiday cheer and BBB’s tips to avoid them: 1. Misleading Social Media Ads: As you scroll through your social media feed, you often see items for sale from a small business. Sometimes the business even claims to support a charity to try to get you to order, or they offer a free trial. BBB Scam Tracker receives reports of people paying for items that they never receive, getting charged monthly for a free trial they never signed up for or receiving an item that is counterfeit or much different from the one advertised. The 2020 BBB Scam Tracker Risk Report found that online purchase scams were the most common cons reported to Scam Tracker and the category with the most victims. Do your homework and research the company before ordering. Check out the business profile on BBB.org and read the reviews. 2. Social Media Gift Exchanges: Each holiday season this scheme pops back up, and this year is no different. A newer version of this scam revolves around exchanging bottles of wine; another suggests purchasing $10 gifts online; another twist asks you to submit your email into a list where participants get to pick a name and send money to strangers to “pay it forward.” There is even a twist about “Secret Santa Dog” where you buy a $10 gift for your “secret dog.” In all of these versions, participants unwittingly share their personal information, along with those of their family members and friends, and are further tricked into buying and shipping gifts or money to unknown individuals. And – it’s an illegal pyramid scheme. 3. Holiday Apps: Apple’s App Store and Google Play list dozens of holiday-themed apps home a volunteer or a professional fundraiser? • How much of every dollar donated will go to the charity? • Confirm the charity’s name and the services it offers. Professional solicitors are required by law to disclose certain information when asked and may not mislead prospective donors or misrepresent facts. While the Attorney General’s Office has a variety of tools to address deceptive practices in charitable solicitation, the most effective means of preventing fraud is an educated donating public. The Attorney General’s Office maintains annual financial reports from charities and professional solicitors that opn anticipation of the upcoming holiday season and as people across the state continue to struggle amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Attorney General Maura Healey is advising residents to make informed decisions when donating to charities. Her Office released a new bulletin showing that only 43 percent of the funds that conventional professional solicitors raised on behalf of charities were transferred to charitable organizations in 2020. More than half of charitable contributions collected were retained by the profeserate in the Commonwealth, which are available for public inspection online. For additional tips on donating, consumers may also review the Attorney General’s Office’s Giving Wisely Advisory (https://www. mass.gov/service-details/giving-wisely-to-charity) and the Donating Dos and Don’ts: A Guide to Charitable Giving (https://www.mass.gov/files/ documents/2021/01/27/Donating%20Dos%20and%20 Donts.%202021.pdf). Individuals with inquiries or complaints about charitable solicitations should call the Attorney General’s Non-Profit Organizations/ Public Charities Division at 617963-2101 or access an online complaint form. where children can video chat live with Santa, light the menorah, watch Santa feed live reindeer, track his sleigh on Christmas Eve or relay their holiday wish lists. This holiday season, like last year when COVID-19 caused children to skip the traditional in-person visit with Santa, apps may play a more important role than ever. Review privacy policies to see what information will be collected. Be wary of free apps, as they can sometimes contain more advertising than apps that require a nominal fee. Free apps can also contain malware. 4. Alerts About Compromised Accounts: BBB has been receiving reports on Scam Tracker about a con claiming your Amazon, PayPal, Netflix or bank account has been compromised. Victims receive an email, call or text message which explains that there has been suspicious activity on one of their accounts, and it further urges them to take immediate action to prevent the account from being compromised. Be extra cautious about unsolicited calls, emails and texts. 5. Free Gift Cards: Nothing brings good cheer like the word free. Scammers have been known to take advantage of this weakness by sending bulk phishing emails requesting CHRISTMAS | SEE PAGE 26
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