Green Bay Reporter

U.S. Rep. Bryan Steil is warning individuals to be leery of scammers and to take added precautions such as using the Tax Exempt Organization Search tool to vet charities before making any contributions.

“Scammers are targeting us every day,” Steil posted on Twitter. “Tools are available to check the legitimacy of a charitable organization using the Tax Exempt Organization Search tool.”

The IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search Tool can answer questions ranging from an organization’s federal tax status and filings to confirming an organization is tax-exempt and eligible to receive tax-deductible charitable contributions to detailing if an organization has had its tax-exempt status revoked.

The Internal Revenue Service recently updated its "Dirty Dozen" tax scams with a warning for people to “watch out for predators using tax-related schemes ranging from fake charities to scams targeting seniors and immigrants,” where tricksters often impersonate IRS authorities charging excessive fees for Offers in Compromise, conducting unemployment insurance fraud and unscrupulously preparing tax returns.

Thus far this year, IRS officials list fake charities, immigration/senior fraud, unscrupulous tax returns and senior scams as being among those on this year’s “dirty dozen” scams.

Charity and disaster fraud schemes typically solicit donations for organizations that do little of what they claim to, with the vast majority of the contributions going to the fake charity’s creator.

Charity frauds can come in forms ranging from emails, social media posts, crowdfunding platforms and cold calls.

Individuals are advised to always use caution and “do your research when you're looking to donate to charitable causes.”

Other tips for protecting yourself include giving to established charities or organizations who have built honorable reputations for the work that they do, being aware of organizations with copycat names or designations similar to reputable organizations and being wary of new organizations boasting of aiding victims of recent high-profile disasters.