It may be the season of giving but many Iowans are being taken — by financial scams. Margo Riekes, spokeswoman for the Better Business Bureau, says several con artists are popping up in Iowa right now and folks need to steer clear.
Riekes says: "The main scams to look out for are the spam solicitations that come either on the Internet and by mail, eBay scams because you don’t know who you’re dealing with, high-pressure sales techniques are always a sign of trouble, and the fake charities." She says Iowans should always be careful with their cash, but now it’s particularly important to make sure any charitable solicitation is legitimate.
"Americans are very generous and they always want to help people out during the holiday season," Riekes says, "they have to be very careful who they’re sending their money to. These scam artists are very artful, they’re very friendly, they’re very non-threatening because that’s how they get what they want." She suggests never making a pledge over the phone to any charity. Instead, ask them to send you information in the mail.
Visit the Better Business Bureau’s website to make sure the organization is legitimate