SCAMS BULLETIN Host Jay White is a volunteer attorney who provides free legal services for low income seniors in San Mateo County, California.

March 21, 2020

CORONAVIRUS CHARITY SCAM

Charity scammers are especially active during and following a disaster such as the Coronavirus pandemic. Many persons wish to help unfortunate persons who have suffered through these disasters. Scammers know of and capitalize on that goodwill.
Sham charities succeed by mimicking the real thing. Like genuine nonprofits, they reach you via telemarketing, direct mail, email and door-to-door solicitations. They create well-designed websites with deceptive names. (As hurricanes churn toward landfall, for example, scammers snap up URLs featuring the storm’s name.) Some operate fully outside the law; others are in fact registered nonprofits but devote little of the money they raise to the programs they promote.

Warning Signs:

*Pressure to give right now. A legitimate charity will welcome your donation whenever you choose to make it.
*A thank-you for a donation you don’t recall making. Making you think you’ve already given to the cause is a common trick that unscrupulous fundraisers use to lower your resistance.
*A request for payment by cash, gift card or wire transfer. Those are scammers’ favored payment methods because the money is difficult to trace.

Do’s:

*Do check how watchdogs like Charity Navigator, CharityWatch and the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance rate an organization before you make a donation, and contact your state’s charity regulator to verify that the organization is registered to raise money there.
*Do your own research online. The FTC recommends searching for a charity’s name or a cause you want to support (like “animal welfare” or “homeless kids”) with terms such as “highly rated charity,” “complaints” and “scam.”
*Do pay attention to the charity’s name and web address. Scammers often mimic the names of familiar, trusted organizations to fool donors.
*Do ask how much of your donation goes to overhead and fundraising. One rule of thumb, used by Wise Giving Alliance, is that at least 65 percent of a charity’s total expenses should go directly to serving its mission.
*Do keep a record of your donations and regularly review your credit card account to make sure you weren’t charged more than you agreed to give or unknowingly signed up for a recurring donation.

Don’ts:

*Don’t give personal and financial information like your Social Security number, date of birth or bank account number to anyone soliciting a donation. Scammers use that data to steal money and identities.
*Don’t make a donation with cash or by gift card or wire transfer. Credit cards and checks are safer.
*Don’t click on links in unsolicited email, Facebook or Twitter fundraising messages; they can unleash malware.
*Don’t donate by text without confirming the phone number on the charity’s official website.
*Don’t assume pleas for help on social media or on crowdfunding sites such as GoFundMe are legitimate, especially in the wake of disasters.

You can report any suspicious activity to the Federal Trade Commission: FTC.GOV, and call the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline: 877-908-3360.

Attribution: AARP