Fighting Fraud
By Better Business Bureau Serving Greater Cleveland
The final quarter of the year (October, November, December) has the highest rate of people donating to their favored charitable organizations. With October right around the corner and recent tragedies, like Hurricane Ida, fires in California, as well as the plight of Afghan refugees, generous people across the world are looking to donate to relief efforts.
One popular, modern way people and organizations solicit donations is through crowdfunding, online fundraising campaigns that typically try to raise money in small amounts from a large number of donors. However, there are many things to consider before you make a donation, as scammers often take advantage of these moments of vulnerability to deceive donors.
BBB urges donors to give thoughtfully to protect their personal information and money from scammers and make sure their money is going to those who need the help most. Here are BBB’s tips for giving wisely:
- Emotional appeals and images aren’t always real. Scammers love to con people out of money with overly dramatic tales and photos that elicit an emotional response. They usually pair their appeals with urgent pleas, saying they need the money right now.
- Donate to specialized crowdfunding websites. Crowdfunding sites dedicated to a specific kind of giving, such as medical funding or school projects, are more likely to have experience spotting problems or scams.
- Ask what the money will be used for. Watch out for vague appeals that don’t identify the intended use of funds. For example, how will the donations help victims’ families?
Have more questions? Need help spotting a scam? Visit bbb.org for more tips, call us at 216.241.7678, or email [email protected].
