• October 3, 2017

Donate Wisely to Disaster Charities

Donate Wisely to Disaster Charities

Donate Wisely to Disaster Charities 150 150 Consumer & Business

Updated Oct. 3, 2017

The Los Angeles County Department of Consumer and Business Affairs cautions you to be wise if you choose to donate to victims of recent hurricanes in Puerto Rico, Florida, and Texas; earthquakes in Mexico and Central America; the mass shooting in Las Vegas or other disasters. Make sure your donation goes to victims, not to scam artists.

Beware of bogus and fraudulent charities reaching out to you through emails, text messages, social media, telemarketing, and door-to-door soliciting.

Here are some important tips to remember:

Charities

  • Give to charities you know. You can donate most safely through well-established charities like the American Red Cross.
  • Be careful with brand-new charities. Some may mean well, but lack the infrastructure to really help. Others may be scam artists. And look out for charities with names that sound like familiar charities.
  • Research charities before you donate. You can research charities in California at the California Attorney General’s office. Charities in the City of Los Angeles must register with the Los Angeles Police Commission‘s Charitable Service Section. You can also check other online review sites.
  • Don’t give or send cash. For security and tax-record purposes, pay by check or credit card. Write the official name of the charity on your check.

Solicitors

  • Give directly to the charity, not the solicitors for the charity or any other people. Solicitors usually take a portion of the proceeds to cover their costs, which leaves less to help victims.
  • Do not give out personal or financial information – including your Social Security number or credit card and bank account numbers – to anyone who asks for a donation from you. Scam artists use this information to commit fraud or identity theft against you.
  • Ask for identification if you’re approached in person. Fundraisers must identify themselves as such and to name the charity for which they are soliciting.
  • Be skeptical of individuals claiming to be surviving victims or officials, especially if they reach you by email or social networks.

Emails, text messages and social media posts

  • You don’t have to donate if someone contacts you with an unsolicited email, phone call, text message, or post on social media sites. It’s better to give through a legitimate website you visited or a legitimate phone number you called.
  • Text donations are not always immediate. Depending on the text message service the charity uses, text donations could take between 30-90 days to get to the charity. If you want your donation to get to a charity quickly, go to the charity’s website or call the charity directly.
  • Read the fine print. When you donate by text message, you might also be signing up for future text message updates from the charity. A charity’s website should have details about what you’re signing up for and how to opt out.
  • Don’t click on links or open attachments from unsolicited emails or social media posts. Some bogus emails claim to show pictures of the disaster areas in attached files but actually contain viruses. Only open attachments from people you know.

If you have a complaint or a question about charities, solicitors, and possible scam artists, call us at 800.593.8222.

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