YORK, Pa. — Holidays and natural disasters are typically when charity scams kick into high gear.
On day 8 of our 12 scams of Christmas, we make sure your money ends up in the right hands.
Show me enough pictures of cute puppies and you can pretty much take all my money. That's exactly what scammers want.
Adorable animals and cute kids are how scammers trick you into giving money to a fake charity.
About 40% of charitable donations are made during the last few months of the year. That's why fake charities made the Better Business Bureau's 12 scams of Christmas.
Remember, any real charity would be happy to get your donation any day of the year, but a scammer wants your money today.
"Put that high pressure on you to donate now, but a legitimate charity is going to be happy if you donate today or tomorrow," said Kelsey Coleman, the Director of Communications at the Better Business Bureau for Metro Philly and Eastern Pennsylvania.
Be sure to go to Charity Navigator or Give.Org to check if an organization is legitimate.
You can also check those sites even for real charities to find out if your money is helping the cause or filling the pockets of employees.
It's just not fake websites, there's even a scam where someone messages you on Instagram asking to be a brand ambassador for a charity.
Unless you're some sort of celebrity or a big content creator, no one legitimate is contacting you. Instead, your mug now becomes the face of a scam.
If you have a story you want Jackie to look into, FOX43 wants to find out. Send her a message on Facebook or send an email to FOX43FindsOut@FOX43.com.