GREENSBORO, N.C. — 2 Wants To Know has a warning for you about the Presidential Debate tonight. The warning has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with your money.
With the debate and the upcoming visits to our state, you're about to get swamped with texts and calls asking you to donate to a particular party, candidate, or cause.
Let me give you an example of a text that came out during the primaries:
PRESIDENT TRUMP. I WANT TO MEET YOU. CONTRIBUTE IN THE NEXT HOUR FOR A GIFTED TRIP TO MAR-A-LAGO.
While this text you may be able to pick out as fake, there will be plenty of others that won't be as easily spotted. You need to be ready.
"They're going to contact you by email, by phone, text, and maybe even social media. The sad thing about charity or imposter scams is that they're taking money away from good charities that are out there," said Mark Hensley, AARP NC Triad Region, Associate State Director of Community Outreach.
There are 2 takeaways for you:
1- Don't give money to an unsolicited ask. So, no clicking on a link from a text, an email, or a social media post. Instead do your research. Look up the candidate, political party, or cause and give directly to them.
2- When you give to a candidate or a charity, do it with your credit card, not your debit card, and not a third-party app like Cash App.
"If you decide to donate, always do it with a credit card. That way, if you find you gave to a fake charity or group, you can call and have your credit card company deem it a potential fraud charge," said Hensley.