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Here's what to do if you get another scam call according to the Mid-South BBB

Daniel Irwin with the Mid-South BBB said they expect to see an uptick in unsolicited calls of all kinds of charities around the holiday season.

MEMPHIS, Tennessee — Unfortunately, we’ve all been on the receiving end of a scam call before. Now with the holiday season just around the corner, hundreds of people are calling the Mid-South BBB, trying to verify unsolicited phone calls.

“They claim to be taking money for fire, the police and troopers,” said Mid-South man Jeffery Douglas, who’s fielded his share of scam calls.  

Douglas got a phone call last month that you might soon get yourself next time you pick up the phone, a caller asking you to donate to help out firefighters or police in your area. When he reported it to the BBB they confirmed it was fake. 

“It gets aggravating because you’re trying to interact and me being a chaplain service or trying to help people when I can, getting these phone calls interferes with what I’m trying to do,” Douglas said.  

Daniel Irwin with the Mid-South BBB said they expect to see an uptick in unsolicited calls of all kinds of charities around the holiday season, especially claiming to help first responders.

Simply having the word police or firefighter in a charity’s name doesn’t mean they are part of the organization. You should also ask for identification and how your contribution will be used.

“Many times when you get these calls you just assume that it’s going to your local police department but it’s not,” said Irwin. “There are legitimate organizations out there but those are often spoofed. So just because they say they’re with a legitimate organization doesn’t mean they are.”

Irwin also advised your antennas should go up if a fundraiser pressures you or tries to give you special treatment for donating.

“For example, no legitimate fundraiser would guarantee that you won’t be stopped for speeding if you have a police organization’s decal in your car window.”

Call your area’s local police association to verify or you can go to the scam tracker at BBB.org.

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