New Mexico Department of Justice Highlights Charities Unit During Charity Fraud Awareness Week

Albuquerque, NM – The New Mexico Department of Justice (NMDOJ) is proud to highlight the vital work of our Charities Unit during Charity Fraud Awareness Week (Dec. 8-12), a time when many are inspired to donate to non-profit causes nationwide. This holiday season, the NMDOJ supports all New Mexicans who seek to give back and make a difference. We strongly encourage individuals to be on the lookout for scams and research charities thoroughly before donating to avoid falling victim to fraud. Please refer to the tips below to protect yourself and your loved ones from scams and ensure your generosity supports legitimate, trusted organizations.

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“In a time of year when so many New Mexicans are looking to share their generosity with charitable organizations that serve our communities, we want to make sure that they have the resources to recognize scams and give safely,”said Attorney General Raúl Torrez. “Scams are elevated this time of year, and scammers are looking to take advantage of the generosity of our community. My office has helpful tools to help recognize scams and also screen charities to help make safe choices when giving.”

Recognizing Scams:

The NMDOJ encourages New Mexicans to be on the lookout for scams this holiday season. Here are some red flags that may indicate a possible scammer:

• If someone asks you to pay money through wire transfer, cryptocurrency, gift cards or transfer apps like Venmo or Zelle, they may be a scammer.
• If anyone attempts to manufacture a sense of urgency, attempting to coerce an individual to donate quickly, they may be a scammer.
• Look at the end of an email address soliciting funds to see if it is coming from a legitimate sender – often, legitimate email addresses match the corresponding organization website.

We encourage New Mexicans to take an extra minute to research any charitable organization. Below are some resources offered by the NMDOJ and other organizations to learn more about charities before donating.

Research Charities:

The NMDOJ is authorized to monitor and enforce the Charitable Solicitations Act, NMSA 1978 § 57-22. Subsequently, charities are required to register and file annual reports using the New Mexico Charitable Organization Registration Online System (NM-COROS). In addition to monitoring and enforcing the act, the NMDOJ also allows all collected data to be available to the public on its website. The NMDOJ website offers a plethora of self-reported information about each registered charity that can be used by the public to vet organizations.

This information is available at NMDOJ.gov/Charities.

Tips for making informed decisions around charitable giving:

• Check to see if the organization is registered and in compliance, and continues to register yearly, with the NMDOJ by visiting NMDOJ.gov/Charities
  • To find a charity: scroll to the links at the bottom and click “New Mexico Charity Search”
• Check to see where the majority of the organization’s funds are being allocated
• Examine the accessible tax documents for additional information, including whether or not the organization is a 501(c)(3) as donations to these specific organizations are tax-deductible
• Utilize additional research resources including websites such as GuideStar.org, FTC.gov and IRS.gov.

For more information or to file a complaint please visit NMDOJ.gov/Charities. For additional questions, please email charity.registrar@nmag.gov.