Defending against charity scams

OLYMPIA – The holiday season is a time for giving, and scammers are trying to get in on the action. Research shows that fraud rates typically increase late in the year, which is why Secretary of State Kim Wyman and Attorney General Bob Ferguson are alerting Washington residents to the dangers of holiday charity scams and unscrupulous solicitors.

“We’ve been encouraging people to ‘Give Smart’ this time of year by making informed choices when donating money to charity,” said Wyman, whose office oversees the state’s Corporations and Charities Division. “There are so many reasons to help out the l...