Don’t fall for a scam masquerading as a charity

Families are looking for ways to help victims of the crisis in Ukraine however they can — be it donating directly to a charity, raising money through a bake sale, or shipping warm clothing to the many refugees in harm’s way.

Indeed, how to donate is a big question right now for parents and children. Who can they give money to? Who is a legitimate charity? What happens to the money that’s raised?

My online search of “Ukraine” and “charitable donations” turned up page after page of charitable organizations. Undoubtedly, some of those sites were created by scammers seeking to use the war as a tool to play on peoples’ emotions and take advantage of their good will.

Follow the cautionary mantra of Mona Terry, chief victims officer with the nonprofit Identity Theft Resource Center in San Diego. “When looking to give to a charity,” Terry said, “you want to pick the charity — not vice versa.”

Where do you start, and how can children learn from the experience?

Here are suggestions and red flags to watch for from the Identity Theft center (idtheftcenter.org.) and the Federal Trade Commission (ftc.gov/charity):

Research, research, research. Make sure the charity has a favorable listing with watchdog groups, such as Charity Watch (charitywatch.org.) and Charity Navigator (charitynavigator.org.) An added step, Terry said, is to make sure the nonprofit organization is registered in its home state. Most states require nonprofits to register annually.

Look at how the charity allocates its donations to ensure you are comfortable with the percentage that is going towards programs that directly impact the victims it supports. And, when searching online for the name of the group, add words such as “review,” “scam” or “complaint.”

If you want to stick with well-known charitable organizations involved in this humanitarian effort, consider groups such as World Central Kitchen, the International Committee of the Red Cross, United Way Worldwide, Doctors Without Borders and Americares.

Be on the lookout for phishing emails from scammers trying to steal your personal information. Don’t click on any donation or assistance links that you may receive by email, text or direct message. Instead, Terry said, go directly to the charity or nonprofit organization to verify the validity of the message and any links provided.

Likewise, according to the FTC, don’t fall for high-pressure tactics asking for immediate donations. Instead, hang up the phone and take some time to do research on the organization.

Watch for scammers pretending to be people stranded in the war zone and in need of money. The same goes for people purporting to be business or government officials needing to move money from their bank out of the country — except they’re having trouble.

This is a variation of the commonly known Nigerian prince scams that routinely make the rounds and scam households out of serious money. In this case, the scammer promises you’ll be rewarded if you are able to advance them money.

Pay with a credit card, which is the safest way to get your money back if the charity turns out to be a scam. Debit cards, on the other hand, are directly linked to your checking account and therefore make you more vulnerable.

If donating through social media, the FTC warns you should not assume a request to donate is legitimate because a friend posted it on social media. Your friend may not be personally familiar with the charity and how it spends money. Don’t rely on peer-to-peer payment systems, which offer little to no protection against fraud if you authorize the payment.