Lawyer Standard Tong Warns Connecticut Inhabitants to be Wary of Scam Hearth Department Text Messages

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04/19/2022

Lawyer Common Tong Warns Connecticut People to be Wary of Rip-off Fire Office Textual content Messages

(Hartford, CT) — Attorney Standard WilliamTong now warned Connecticut inhabitants to be wary of textual content information frauds pretending to promote products benefiting nearby hearth departments.

About the getaway weekend, at the very least eight Connecticut fire departments described that citizens experienced gained textual content messages purporting to be from the fireplace department with backlinks advertising and marketing and providing discounted fireplace office goods.

“Scammers choose advantage of generous and goodhearted men and women who just want to support. Do not fall for their tactics,” Attorney Typical Tong reported. “If you obtain a person of these messages or any solicitations for a donation or invest in, do your homework initially. Take your time and confirm that the firm is reputable and that your donation is going where by you think it is.”

Fire departments in Harwinton, Killingworth, Seymour and Newtown issued alerts above the weekend warning citizens that these messages were scams and to disregard them.

If you obtain an unsolicited textual content concept or mobile phone contact with a hyperlink asking for a donation or requesting that you make a invest in, do not simply click the website link.

If the concept arrives from an group you are common with, these kinds of as your local hearth section, call the non-crisis line and verify that they are in truth searching for donations or marketing merchandise.

Much more Strategies for Supplying Safely and securely:

• Do your homework. Right before making a charitable donation, make absolutely sure you know who you are dealing with and what your donation will be utilised for. The Greater Company Bureau Wise Offering Alliance, Charity Navigator, or Guidestar are good means for verifying a charity is respectable.
• Charities soliciting in Connecticut have to be registered with the Office of Consumer Safety. You can validate a registration by checking out elicense.ct.gov.
• Never be pressured. Do not donate if the solicitor takes advantage of large-strain methods, asks for payment in cash or insists on sending anyone to pick up your donation.
• Be very careful when giving out your particular details or credentials. Occasionally donors are needed to make an account with their private information and facts in order to give to a charity. People accounts can be compromised, and your information can be stolen.
• Tax Deductible Donations: If producing a tax-deductible donation is critical to you, use the Exempt Corporations Choose Device at IRS.gov to obtain capable charities. Only donations to experienced charitable businesses are tax-deductible. Once you have built your donation, be certain to get a receipt for your contribution.
• Hold records of your donations. If you donate by credit score card, test your statements intently to make sure you’re charged only for what you agreed to donate.

Connecticut residents may possibly report charity related fraud by getting in touch with the Office environment of the Legal professional Typical via e mail at legal [email protected] or by calling 860-808-5318. Issues can be filed here.

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Twitter: @AGWilliamTong

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