'Tis the season is also 'Tis the season to be cautious of scams, thefts and other tragedies that somehow show up as we enter the Christmas season.
We all want to feel a little more generous during the Christmas season. It makes us feel a little better about ourselves when we reach out to help someone in need.
But the Christmas season is also the season that kicks off the most scams of people trying to separate you from your hard-earned money. It's also a season when most of us let our guards down a little bit.
As we've said before, the best defense from getting scammed is to use your common sense. If you haven't already, you will be getting calls on the phone to help everybody from starving children to starving pets. You'll be asked to help feed the homeless during the holidays (like they don't need anything to eat the rest of the year).
Word of advice, give locally. If you want to help a family in need, contact a teacher that sees these children on a daily basis and knows who's in need and which families are simply trying to work the system. Give to the Salvation Army, the Red Cross, they do good work.
Contact a church. Most churches either have food banks or can point you in the right direction.
If you want to help someone this holiday season, make sure your money is actually going to help someone who needs help.
A lot of civic clubs sponsor Angel Trees; that's a good avenue as well. We just want to remind people to pay attention and give to organizations that actually help people in need instead of helping their own pocketbooks.
