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TUCSON - The holidays are a time of giving and many of you in Southern Arizona are generous when it comes to helping those in need.

Many charitable organizations ramp up efforts to raise money for their cause this time of year.

Fraudsters are also busy at their work preying on your goodwill.

Scammers use a variety of methods such as creating phony websites or flooding your email with solicitations. And they may pester you with phone calls or knock on your door.

The BBB tells us fraudsters are pulling on your heart strings hoping to pull the cash out of your wallet.

"If someone calls you on the phone and says they're from such and such charity, make sure that it's a legitimate charity," says Nick LaFeur with the BBB of Southern Arizona. "Don't necessarily give on the spot over the phone. Say you need to take time to maybe think about. Go online. Go to that charity's website. Find their phone number. Call them back. Give that way."

BBB Advice: Always research charities with BBB before you give to see if the charity meets BBB's 20 Standards for Charity Accountability. Click here for the information.