CHARITY SCAMS- Giving Without Getting Scammed

With the disruption of SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) due to the federal government shutdown, more and more people are considering donating to local food banks to help them handle the increase in business. The key is to donate to organizations you know and trust.

Many people donate food to their local food banks. Local churches, sometimes schools, and independent volunteer organizations have organized to give out food to those in need. Here is a list of local food banks collected by The Seattle Times- https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/where-to-get-food-in-king-snohomish-pierce-counties-as-snap-lapses/.

You may want to make a monetary donation. You need to take care to donate to organizations that will truly give food to those in need and not pocket the money for their own ends. If you do not know of a local food bank that you know and trust, do a little research to find a food bank or charity that has a good reputation. One place to look is the Washington Secretary of State (SOS). SOS maintains a list of charities registered with it that you can search at: https://www.sos.wa.gov/corporations-charities/nonprofits-charities/charities/information-donors.

You can also look for reputable charities at,

·         Better Business Bureau, Give.org- https://give.org/

·         Charity Navigator- https://www.charitynavigator.org/

·         Charity Watch- https://www.charitywatch.org/

·         Candid- https://candid.org/

 

If you hear about a charity that you think you might want to donate to you can also do a web search with the charity’s name and the words “complaint,” “review,” “rating,” or “scam.”

Scammers may pretend to be a charity to collect/take your money and/or collect your personal information. Be wary of unsolicited phone calls or text messages asking for a donation. Two red flags to watch for include,

·         Pressure to give immediately. A legitimate charity will welcome your donation whenever you choose to make it.

·         A request for payment by cash, gift card or wire transfer. These are scammers’ favored payment methods because the money is easy to access and difficult to trace.

If you see an ad, receive a phone call, email, or text message soliciting donations resist the urge to give right away. Take a breath and do a little research before giving.

 

AARP:

https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/charity/

 

Federal Trade Commission:

https://consumer.ftc.gov/consumer-alerts/2024/11/give-charity-not-scam

 

National Cybersecurity Alliance:

https://www.staysafeonline.org/articles/how-to-avoid-charity-scams