Many of us donate to charities we care about. But, I’ll bet almost everyone has gotten solicited by charities – real ones and fake ones – to give money. We can be better prepared to spot the scams and make sure our donations go where we mean them to.

Many charities get in touch by phone, by mail, or by email. Donations are what keep charities in business. Which means many charities try to raise money from people like us. They might be groups you know and recognize but they might not. Many charities buy or trade fundraising lists, so they can find even more people who might contribute.

Charities and fundraisers are not covered by the Do Not Call list. They are allowed to call people but according to the Federal Trade Commission, if you tell them to put you on their Do Not Call list, they have to stop calling you.

How can you tell what charity is legitimate and what’s a scam? Scammers want our money quickly. Charity scammers often pressure you to donate right away. They might ask for cash, and might ask you to wire money. Scammers often refuse to send you information about the charity, give you details, or tell you how the money will be used. They might even thank you for a pledge you don’t remember making.

Here's what you can do: Take your time. Tell callers to send you information by mail. For requests you get in the mail, do your research. Is it a real group? What percentage of your donation goes to the charity? Is your donation tax-deductible? How do they want you to pay? Rule out anyone who asks you to send cash or wire money. Chances are, that’s a scam.

The Federal Trade Commission talked with a scammer about how he got money from people. The scammer said he moved on when someone said no quickly. That’s your best defense against any kind of scam.

We all have the strategies that work for us to get off the phone. What do you do? For people who can’t just hang up, you could simply interrupt the caller’s fundraising pitch and say, “No thanks” or “I’m not interested” and then hang up.

Some people make a policy of never making decisions about money based on a phone call. The fundraisers sometimes press you to make a pledge. In that case, you can a repeat yourself and add, “If I get the information in the mail with a pledge filled in, I won’t give you anything at all.” Remember, it’s your money. You get to decide how to spend it.

If you spot a scam, please report it to the Federal Trade Commission. Call the FTC at 1-877-382-4357 or go online: ftc.gov/complaint. Your complaint can help protect other people. By filing a complaint, you can help the FTC’s investigators identify scammers and stop them before they can get someone’s hard-earned money. It really makes a difference.