Digital Charity Scam
The desire to help others is a common need among people. This is commonly done by means of non-profit charities that have been set up for this purpose. Unfortunately, scammers have seen this as ‘easy money’ and have devised various schemes to take advantage of the situation.
One such charity fraud that has becoming increasingly common is through providing assistance to children and families in foreign countries. The public is flooded with brochures and images on television predicting starving children or destitute families. Potential recipients are informed just how much their money will help and what it will provide for them.
While no one wants to see children or families suffer, donating money without a thorough knowledge of where it will go is not a wise decision. Frauds that have been exposed make it clear that the funds given to these alleged charitable organizations were instead used solely for the benefit of the organizers, and little or no money went to the needy. Unfortunately, the occurrence of such flagrant deceits has tainted all charities, and many of these organizations are authentic, working diligently to help those in need.
Often charities advertise through various media channels, such as television, magazines, and the Internet. Their requests typically start at ten dollars and go up from there. If a person stops to think how much is spent for these advertisements they would know where most of the money is going.
As an example, one charity that was investigated was set up legally and actually sent money to the needy in foreign lands. Unfortunately, federal investigate showed that almost ninety percent of all donations were used to pay the large salaries of the directors for the charity. This left very little for the needy and, in the end, this charity was just another deceit.
Charity scams are often very difficult to spot. They can be requests on behalf of the homeless, fighting animal cruelty, the poor, and nearly any other type of help. Sincere charitable foundations do indeed exist, but others are set up for the sole purpose of transferring money from your bank account to theirs.
In order to avoid this from happening, it is vital that you take the time to research the organization completely. This can be done via the Internet, Better Business Bureau, the consumer complaint division, the government, or other means. If the appeal contains a name and telephone number, then a telephone service such as quick-private-lookup.net/604/685/ can be used to verify the authenticity of the person or organization.
One should be especially suspect of people coming to the door with cans supposedly collecting for a well-known charity. There is no way to tell if the money is actually going to that charity or is being stolen by the individual collecting the funds. For a well-known and trusted organization, a mailed or hand-delivered gift will ensure that the money actually goes for its intended purpose.
Tags: Charity Donations, Charity Fundraising, Charity Giving, Digital Charity
