America 250 gear, fake charities and event fraud among Fourth of July scams to watch

WMBF News reports that MYRTLE BEACH, SC (WMBF) - With Americans preparing to celebrate the country’s 250th birthday, the Better Business Bureau is warning consumers about scams targeting wallets ahead of the Fourth of July.

A national campaign called “Give Fourth” aims to make July 4 the biggest single day of charitable giving in U.S.

The BBB warns that scammers often copy the name of a real charity, changing just a word or two — especially those that help veterans or cancer patients.

Before donating, the BBB recommends checking the charity’s website for misspellings and looking it up on give.org to see if it meets BBB standards.

Scammers are also designing counterfeit merchandise that appears to be limited-edition America 250 gear, but is not licensed by the official America 250 group.

BBB of Eastern Carolina spokesperson Nicole Cordero said it is already seeing a rise in online shopping complaints about the products.