National Cancer Society vs. American Cancer Society

(NECN) – It’s natural for people to feel more generous during the holiday season, so they give more.
But that feeling of generosity also makes people more vulnerable to charity scams at this time of the year, and the scammers know it.

For the third and final installment in our Friday night series on avoiding holiday scams, Steve Weisman joined us with tips.

Weisman is a Massachusetts attorney and Bentley University professor, as well as the author of seven books, including “The Truth About Avoiding Scams.”

“It’s the season for giving, and unfortunately it’s also the season for being taken,” said Weisman. “The two things you have to look out for are are they real charities or are they real greedy charities because both of those are problems.”
Weisman also pointed out what’s in a name. The National Cancer Society sounds good, but it is a scam. The American Cancer Society is a legitimate charity. You have to check out the names of charities very, very carefully. Also check out how much of what they are collecting is going to administrative costs. If you are being called by a telemarketer, it could be up to 80 percent.
A resource you can use that Weisman finds valuable is www.charitynavigator.org
Watch for more tips to avoid scams this holiday season.