The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Ohio AG offers tips to avoid being scammed
Ohio Attorney General: Do the research
Ohio AG Mike DeWine is advising those who want to offer assistance for flooding victims to do some research.
Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine is advising those who want to offer assistance following the catastrophic flooding in Texas caused by Hurricane Harvey to do some research first to avoid being scammed.
DeWine, according to an Aug. 28 media release, is sending out advice to Ohioans so they can make wise charitable contributions without their generosity being taken advantage of by any of the many sham charities that pop up after a natural disaster or national tragedy.
The tips offered by DeWine include:
• Carefully review donations requests. Do the research to be sure your donation will be used as intended. Don’t rely on recommendations found on social media such Facebook, or Twitter, as not all of them have being checked out as legitimate.
• Evaluate Charities. Use resources such as the Ohio Attorney Generals’s Office or other states’ Attorney Generals’ Offices for outside Ohio. IRS Select Check, Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance, Charity Navigator and Guidestar are other resources named by the Attorney General as valid sources to verify charities.
• Beware of “look-alike” websites or accounts. Be wary of groups and/or charities that have similar sounding names to established organizations. Often times these could be an attempt confuse potential donors. Verify any request received from an organization asking for a donation. To verify the request is from an actual organization and not an imposter contact the organization directly or visit their website.
• Be careful when giving to newly formed organizations. Some charities formed shortly after a natural disaster or national tragedy may have good intentions but lack the experience to properly handle the donations. Charities that are established are more able to deal with contributions and have a reviewable track record.
• Check out Crowdfunding campaigns before donating. If you want to donate using a peer-to-peer or crowdfunding site, first find out how your donation will be used. Do the research and find out which ones have been vetted/ checked out and which ones haven’t. Look for ones supported by those close to the tragedy. Take a look at what percentage of your money the website takes and what goes to the charity. Inquire whether there are any fees charge and how personal information is used by the website as well. Be cautious of websites that do not have a privacy policy.
• Review claims carefully. Some groups who sell merchandise online to raise funds for a cause can claim “100 percent of the proceeds” go to the benefit of a specific charity, but this doesn’t mean 100 percent of the sale price goes towards that cause. Before buying, contact the organization selling the merchandise and inquire how much exactly how much of the purchase goes to the cause. Consider donating another way if they can not or do not provide an answer.
• Contact a charity before raising money on its behalf. Contact the charity before starting to raise funds to find out the proper way to collect donations.
The Attorney General’s Office lists the following as signs of a potential charity scam: • High-pressure tactics. • No details about how your donations will be used.
• Refusal to provide written information about the charity.
• Organizations with names that sound similar to other better known organizations.
• Requests for donations made payable to a person instead of a charity.
• Offers to pick up donations immediately versus in the mail or online.
Questionable charity activity or suspected scams should be reported to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office at www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov, or by calling 800-282-0515.
“The Ohio Attorney’s General Office investigates and takes enforcement action against charitable fraud,” according to the release.
“We encourage people to be generous in helping those affected by the devastating floods in Texas,” Attorney General DeWine said in the media release. “We also encourage people to make sure their donations go to legitimate causes, not scammers. A little bit of research can go a long way to avoid being taken advantage of when helping those in need.”