charities

Unfortunately, not everyone is as trustworthy as they should be and they may take advantage of more trusting individuals. Even worse, some people will pretend to be collecting donations for different charities, yet often times it goes straight into their pockets. It may be a good idea to verify that it is a legitimate organization and you can do that by going to the IRS website, locate the nonprofit charity list and see if that particular organization is on their legitimate list before making any donations.

Charity scams seem to proliferate after any type of natural disaster, such as the hurricanes, fires or floods. You may believe that you are going to donate to a particular organization or charity when in reality the money goes to some rather unscrupulous individuals. Setting up a fake charity is not all that difficult and in some cases it is just down right easy. So, what should you look for when you are contacted by local community foundations that may help tip you off?

Whenever you are approached by someone claiming to be soliciting donations for a charity, pay close attention to the name. Many times scammers will use a name that is very similar to a real nonprofit charity, thus hoping to confuse the individual and gain donations. Normally, people who work with charities so not go into a great deal of detail about the cause, whereas a scammer may try to use very emotional words or images to play on your sympathies.

There are some other things that you should watch out for when dealing with someone soliciting funds for a non profit organization and may include checking with the Better Business Bureau to see if there have been any reports filed. Do not give in to pressure or any type of hard sell tactics. If the individual is pressuring you to give money immediately, then you need to be even more suspicious.

There are a few more things that may suggest it is not a legitimate nonprofit charity. If you requested information from them to be sent to you by mail and that still did not answer all of your questions, then keep asking. If the charity you are dealing with accepts an online payment processor such as PayPal and a PO Box as their only payment options, be wary. A reputable charity should have a street address and a telephone number.