Beware of charity scams. Do your homework before donating. Those are the warnings issued to the public by CNBC in a recent report about fraudulent nonprofits. The CNBC report focused on an unprecedented enforcement action in 2015. The Federal Trade Commission, along with all 50 states and other law enforcement authorities, filed a complaint against …
Posts Categorized: Scams
WATCH OUT! Phishing Remains a Threat for Taxpayers
The IRS is warning taxpayers to watch out for fake emails and websites trying to steal personal information that can be used to commit identify or financial theft. The IRS is listing this type of “phishing” scheme on its list of the top tax scams for the 2015 filing season, the typical time when scams …
Nonprofits Subject to Email Phishing Attacks
On October 29, many received an email from Christopher Oechsli, president of Atlantic Philanthropies, saying the New York foundation was planning on randomly giving away $1 million. The email stated that recipients should consider themselves to be “lucky individuals.” Unfortunately for these email recipients, the foundation, which announced plans to stop its operations by 2020, …
New IRS Phone and Email Scams
The IRS is warning of phone and email scams targeting individuals and businesses. First, scammers have been making calls claiming to be from the IRS. They may say that a taxpayer owes money or is entitled to a large refund. Even worse, some of the scammers are threatening arrest or revocation of the taxpayer’s driver’s …
Another Win for NY AG Schneiderman
New York Attorney General Eric T. Schneiderman is following his big win earlier this month with a $522,000 pay out from a Brooklyn rabbi who collected hundreds of thousands of dollars for fake charities. Rabbi Yaakov Weingarten pled guilty in NY State Supreme Court to felony tax fraud for soliciting donations from thousands of donors …
May is for Embezzlement Convictions
Yesterday was a good reminder for charities that any organization is susceptible to embezzlement. First, a man was sentenced to three years in prison after admitting he had defrauded charities by billing them for, but not delivering, prizes to be auctioned at fundraisers. The prizes included a walk-on role on Desperate Housewives and tickets to …