It’s all over the news. The wildfires in Los Angeles have been closely covered over the last few days by national and local news outlets. From the horrific photos of the damage done by the fires and the heart wrenching stories of families losing their homes of many years if not decades, it makes sense that we might be motivated to want to help, often with a financial contribution.
Unfortunately, disasters are natural events for scammers to try to
steal your money in the guise of helping victims of wildfires, hurricanes,
tornados, earthquakes, etc. The scammers know the there are people who are ripe
to scam. People who are motivated to do good but may not know how to give or who
may be too busy Scammers prey on our empathy and our emotions to get us to give
them money while they pretend to be from a charity that will help the wildfire
victims.
The most important thing to do before you give money is to
research the charity that you are considering.
News media have made recommendations of organizations that can
help victims of the wildfires. Here are recommendations from three organizations,
KIRO TV:
Associated Press:
ABC:
While these news organizations have vetted the organizations you
might want to check out an organization on your own. One thing to check is if
the charity is registered in the State of Washington. All charities and commercial
fund raisers who solicit donations in the State of Washington must follow the Washington
Charitable Solicitations Act, RCW 19.09. You can see if a specific charity is
registered with the Washington Secretary of State at this link- https://www.sos.wa.gov/corporations-charities/nonprofits-charities/charities/information-donors/givesmart.
You can also research a charity’s trustworthiness and
effectiveness on the Better Business Bureau’s Give.org website at- https://give.org/.
A charity
may advertise that it is a tax-exempt organization, and your donation is tax
exempt. You can check to see if a charity is truly tax-exempt at this IRS web
site- https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/tax-exempt-organization-search.
You can also do a web search
for the charity. Do a search with the name of the charity plus words like “complaint,”
“review,” “rating,” or “scam.” If you find their website, review it carefully. Look
for specifics about its programs, how it spends its money, the oversight of the
organization, and a listing of the organization’s officers.
Remember
·
If someone calls
for a charity and they pressure you to give right away, hang up.
·
Be skeptical if
the charity thanks you for a donation that you do not remember making.
·
Be wary if the
charity wants the donation in cash, money order, gift cards or cryptocurrency.
Make your donation with your credit card.
·
If a caller
cannot explain specifically what your donation will be used for or what
percentage of donations is used for operations versus administration, hang up.
For more tips on
charitable giving, check out the following sources,
Federal Trade Commission:
https://consumer.ftc.gov/features/donating-safely-and-avoiding-scams
Washington State Secretary of State:
https://www.sos.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2022-05/givesmart-ago-sos-handout-final-093015.pdf
AARP:
https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/info-2019/charity.html?intcmp=AE-FWN-LIB1-POS7
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