Con artists are continuing to use seemingly philanthropic ventures to profit from tragedies occurring late in 2012 such as Hurricane Sandy and the Newtown, Conn., school shooting, said Gail Zurek.
"Consumers are becoming more savvy about this, which is wonderful, but it also means scammers will change the way how they approach things," Zurek said.
Zurek said in Northwest Indiana, residents have reported incidents of people going door-to-door in neighborhoods soliciting donations to send to families on the East Coast.
Also with tax season approaching, Zurek said people are already receiving calls soliciting a service to deposit refund payments if they provide the caller with their account information. She also recommended people watch out for people who claim to be Certified Public Accountants or tax preparers but are not.
Zurek said people knowing who they are doing business with and supporting a "buy local" movement could help consumers.
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