Avoid Scams this Giving Season
Many of us are in a generous mood during November and December, and we like to give to our favorite charities. Unfortunately, scammers know this, and they like to trick us into handing over our money to them. With so many legitimate requests bombarding us now through New Year’s, it’s hard enough to filter out the clutter, let alone the scams. Here are some tips to keeping your donations safe and delivering them to your intended organization.
Do your research. Make sure you have the scoop on the organization or cause to which you’re donating. Sometimes you can find out if a charity is suspect by searching for its name, along with words like “scam” or “complaint.” You can also look up and see how well-rated a charity is on websites like CharityWatch.org.
Be aware of emails and websites that spoof, or falsely replicate, a legitimate charity. Always click on the sender’s name to see the real address they’re sending from. Make sure the address and corresponding website end in the organization’s name with “.org” immediately after.
Solicitations by phone are quite frequently scams. To be safer go directly to the organizations website by looking it up and making your donation there.
Do not make donations to anyone insisting you do so with cash, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or by wire. These are hallmarks of scammers. It’s best to use credit card or check. (Note, that there have been a rash of checks stolen out of the mail recently. If possible, pay with ApplePay or GooglePay. They are the most secure methods of payment!) Also be sure that you are charged the exact amount you agreed to and are not set up to make recurring donations.
Be very careful about donating to individuals or crowdfunding sites (sites that raise money for projects or causes by getting a lot of small donations from a large number of people via the internet). Be sure you know the individual personally.
To find out more about donating to charities, visit the Federal Trade Commission’s website at ftc.gov/charity.