IRS Warns Of Charity Scams

Dee Stepter of the Internal Revenue Service visited 'Mornings With Ken and Bernie' today to warn of the prevalence of charity scams at this time of year.

People fall for many scams at this time of year and according to Stepter,

Holidays are the time of year when people are looking to make donations, they want to give and claim income tax deductions so they can be more susceptible.

We asked Stepter what methods were being used by criminals and she said,

There are a number of scams out there but this time of year you might get a phone call or e-mail from a charity using a name that is a variation of a charity you might recognize.  We're becoming a more digital world so people are accustomed to getting solicitations by mail.

Stepter said there are ways to protect yourself when donating on line.

If you donate on line don't click on a link provided in a solicitation e-mail.  Instead type in the URL yourself to insure you are not clicking a link that will re-direct you to a bogus website.

According to Stepter you can get more information by calling the IRS at 1-800-829-3676 or visiting the IRS website.

You can listen to the entire interview with Stepter by clicking the button below: