The latest fraud alert is warning Los Angeles County residents of scammers masquerading as charity groups claiming to raise money for first responders, according to the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office on Friday.
“Be wary of donating to groups that attempt to tug at your heartstrings in order to line their pockets,” said Steven Wang, deputy district attorney, in a video attached to the D.A. Office’s alert.
Some charities end up spending most of their donations on administrative costs or not in a way that was promised.
“In some instances, these groups may not be legitimate charities at all,” Wang said.
He added that just because these charities incorporate the words “police” or “firefighter” does not mean they are collecting money to these public servants.
The LADA offered these tips so that people can avoid falling for this latest scam:
- Conduct research on the organization, which includes looking into their charitable status on rct.doj.ca.gov.
- Reputable charities detail how their money gets spent and whether or not the donation is tax deductible.
- Do not give any form of money, be it cash, wire transfer or gift cards.
Wang offers more information on how the scam operates in this video: https://da.co.la.ca.us/community/fraud-alerts/.
Those interested in more information can follow @LADAOffice on Twitter and Instagram for up-to-date news. The above information was shared with The Signal via a news release from the L.A. County District Attorney’s Office.
