If anyone had doubts about there being a spirit of generosity in Williams Lake, the lead up to Christmas has put those at bay.
In the last few weeks we've seen people of all ages organize fundraisers, donate creatively and rally to help others have a better holiday season.
Local hockey players crammed an ambulance for the food bank, while others gathered toys for BGC Williams Lake. Realtors helped gather gifts for seniors, musicians performed concerts with admission being non-perishable food, 100s attended the CDC wish breakfast and donated toys, many people chose a paper angel off one of the many trees in town to purchase a gift for a child or picked a senior to buy a gift for.
These are just some of the many local initiatives that make Williams Lake a very giving community.
One that stands out is the Facebook page called Williams Lake Moms.
Anytime a mom posts there about how worried she is to celebrate Christmas for her children, there are numerous quick responses from others wanting to help.
Over the weekend one person cautioned, saying it is important to make sure anonymous pleas for aid are not coming from scammers.
She had a point.
While the spirit of the holidays is a time of giving for most, for scammers, it is a time of taking, warns the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
A list of the most popular holiday scams is posted on their website so people can "recognize, reject, report and be merry."
Those popular scams include counterfeit merchandise, selling goods and services online, charity scams, crypto investment scams, romance scams, cellphone promo and internet service provider scams, online shopping, phishing email and texts, secret Santa, prize scams, emergency, gift cards, ID theft and fraud and shipping fraud.
It's sad to know that there are Grinches around wanting to take advantage of their fellow human beings.
Any one of us would be sad to see a family member or friend scammed, let alone ourselves.
Even when people are embarrassed to admit they've fallen for a scam, it is important to report it because it helps create awareness, warn others and hopefully catch scammers.
