Chicago residents and visitors in the West Loop and Near West Side say they've been schemed out of $2,400 apiece for what they thought were "charity donations."
"They're asking for money for a kids' basketball team and something about autism," said West Loop resident Mike Windish. "It's easy to get taken and caught up in that act of kindness."
According to Facebook posts and other residents, two men appear with clip boards or binders with flyers. They say they're raising money for youth gun violence or a sick family member. Sometimes the script changes to a different cause.
The duo doesn't take cash, so those who donate swipe their credit card. And each time, the donor ends up with a $2,400 charge, even though they never agreed to give that amount.
Windish saw it happening near Madison Street and Racine Avenue, and called to report it to the police.
"It was a brown Nissan. I gave the plate number to police. It's the same two guys I saw on Halsted," he said. "What I think is dangerous about this is everyone wants to help someone out, and they're friendly at first."
Steve Bernas, the CEO of the Better Business Bureau Chicago (BBB), said it's best to never do business or give money to someone you have not vetted.
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"I don’t care if it's 50 cents or $100 or they say they’re working for a great cause. How do you know they’re working for the great cause," Bernas said. "Legitimate organizations will want your money today, will want your money tomorrow, they'll want it next year. Scammers, bad businesses, thieves will want your money now and run."
Bernas also said the schemers likely continue going to the same area because people continue to "donate."
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"The only way to put these scams out of business is please don’t give them your business," Bernas said.
Residents agree.
"More residents need to get involved to make people aware this is happening, and we need to protect our community," said Windish.
You can report potential scams to the BBB Scam Tracker, even if you are not personally a victim.
