Consumers need to be wary of sham charities attempting to take advantage of them and ensure they’re giving to legitimate charitable organizations.
Fraudulent organizations can try to take advantage of consumers’ good intentions, especially following natural disasters. Given the significant impact of the flooding in Texas, it’s essential for consumers to be informed as they seek to help.
“My heart breaks for the Camp Mystic families and all Texans impacted by this devastating flash flooding, and I am grateful to the first responders who have jumped into action to care for their neighbors,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement.
James said consumer need to be careful of scams and make sure they give to trustworthy organizations and groups.
People who experiences any issue when donating can contact the Attorney General’s Office in their state.
The New York Attorney General’s Office offers the following tips to ensure donations are safe and effective:
- Solicited by email? find out who’s soliciting. If you receive a solicitation by email, find out who’s behind that email address. Contact the charity whose name is in the email or visit its website to find out if the email is really from the charity. Don’t give personal information or your credit card number in response to an email solicitation unless you’ve checked out the charity.
- Be careful when giving through social media or other fundraising sites. Before giving through social media or fundraising sites, research the identity of the organizer of the fundraising efforts and ask the same questions you would of a charity. Online platforms that host groups and individuals soliciting for causes may not thoroughly vet those who use their service. Donors should only give to campaigns conducted by people they know. Donors also should take a look at the site’s FAQs and terms and conditions to see what fees will be charged. Also, don’t assume that charities recommended on social media sites, blogs, or other websites have been vetted. Research the charity yourself to confirm that the charity is aware of the campaign and has given its approved permission for the use of its name or logo. If available, sign up for updates from the campaign organizer to keep up of how contributions to the campaign are being spent.
- Check before giving. Donate to charities you’re familiar with and carefully review information about the charity before you give. Check a website such as https://disasterphilanthropy.org/ to find out which charities are at the aid forefront.
- Ask how your donation will be used. Find out how the charity plans to use your donation, including the services and individuals your donation will support. Find out more than just the cause. Find out what organization or entity will receive the money and what programs it conducts or what services it provides. Find out how much of the organization’s budget supports its mission. All charities have administrative expenses, but be wary if these costs outweigh the amount spent on relief.
- Look into newly formed organizations carefully. Often, after tragedies, new organizations emerge to meet community needs. While most of these organizations are well-intentioned and some may provide innovative forms of assistance, some may not have the experience or infrastructure to follow through on their promises, and some may turn out to be scams.
- Exercise caution before you text a contribution. Check the charity’s website or call the charity to confirm it has authorized contributions to be made via text message.
- Don’t give cash. Give directly to the charity either by check made payable to the organization or through the charity’s website.
- Be careful about personal information. Be cautious before giving credit card or personal information over the phone, by text message, or via the internet. In all cases, make sure you’re familiar with the organization to which you give such information and check to see that the fundraising campaign is legitimate.
Remember, an alert, informed consumer is the best protection against fraud.
