Salvation Army warns of fraudulent call

AUSTIN (KXAN) - With the holidays quickly approaching, many see this time of year as a season for giving. Unfortunately, it is also a season for scams, with criminals looking to benefit from your generosity.

That's the warning from the Salvation Army, after several people tried to take money in their name. The local chapter found out people here in Austin received calls and were asked for money over the phone, but the Salvation Army only collects money through the bell-ringers or from people who mail in donations or donate online.

"We do make calls, but they are thank you calls to donors," said Salvation Army Communications Director Randy Allen.

Allen says Wednesday one or more people pretending to be a part of their organization made phone calls trying to get people's money. He says the first target hung up the phone and reported it. The other made what she thought was a charitable donation.

"The other person did give a credit card number, but still, she called and said, 'I think this is a little bit unusual,'" Allen said.

Just two weeks ago, the Salvation Army found out about an imposter bell ringer who had stationed himself at Parmer and Metric in North Austin with a red kettle he'd labeled himself. The location alone was a red flag.

 "Our bell- ringers are at Walmart, Walgreens, the malls, Hobby Lobby -- you know, that kind of thing," Allen said.

So what are the warning signs when it comes to phone calls? Erin Dufner with the Better Business Bureau says anybody who pressures you to give "today" and is not willing to provide you any kind of time to think or time to research is definitely a red flag. The BBB tells people just because it's a season of giving doesn't mean to be careless about giving away personal information.

"If someone receives some kind of solicitation over the phone, they should not provide any personal information, whether it's their address, or their email, or specifically, their credit card number." said Dufner.

Allen says for the Salvation Army and for all organizations trying to do good, he just hopes the work of crooks won't discourage the community from giving. He says the calls have been reported Austin Police, and a detective is aware of it. They don't know yet if the same person made the phone calls or if more than one person is involved.

The local Salvation Army is discontinuing their "thank you" calls to donors for the rest of the holiday season to avoid any confusion or concern. They'll start making them again in January.

If you're in doubt of a charity or someone soliciting for donations, members of the Better Business Bureau suggest you contact the charity directly and check it out. You can also check out questionable charities through the BBB or the website Guidestar which posts charity tax return forms to show how they money is used.