Six former Apple employees are now facing felony charges in California. They are accused of scamming the tech giant out of charitable matching donations and then keeping the money.
One of the suspects is an executive at a nonprofit organization that supports children and teenagers living in poverty called Hop4Kids. The prosecutor in Santa Clara said that particular suspect was the ringleader and carried out the scheme for almost three years between 2018 and 2021.
District Attorney Jeff Rosen accused the unnamed top official of using his status in the nonprofit to keep matching contributions from Apple, then returning the initial donations to the employees.
The DA believes they stole about $150,000 and wrote off about $100,000 on their tax deductions. When arraigned, they will face charges of theft, perjury and tax fraud.
The New York State Division of Consumer Protection is urging donors to do research on any organization they plan on giving to this holiday season. The agency said donors are motivated by generosity this time of year and end of the year tax benefits.
To avoid getting scammed this holiday season, there are a few things to keep in mind:
- Check databases, such as the Better Business Bureau or Give.org, before contributing. Beware of phony charities that have similar names to the real ones. Keep a close eye on the specific name, website and contact information for an organization.
- Do not give out credit card numbers or Social Security numbers in response to an unsolicited request for money.
- Beware of anybody who wants you to wire money or purchase gift cards for them.
