Disasters like the recent tornadoes in the Midwest or the typhoon in the Philippines have placed thousands of people in desperate need of help. However, scammers see disasters as a perfect opportunity to prey on the goodwill and kindness of those seeking to lend a hand to disaster victims.
When you donate money to aid disaster victims, don’t become a victim yourself by falling for a scam. Thieves posing as charities are out to steal money and even steal your private information and commit identity theft.
Since I highly value and esteem the hard work of charities across the nation, I’d like to share some information with you so that we all can safely continue donating to help those in need following natural disasters, without having to fear!
Here are a few tactics that scammers will commonly use. They will:
- Claim to be with real charities to gain public trust.
- Use names similar to legitimate charities.
- Use email to steer people to bogus websites that often look like real charity sites.
- Contact people by phone or email to get them to ‘donate’ money or give their financial information.
Don’t let that stop you from seeking to help. From time to time, here at Affordable Bookkeeping and Payroll we like to highlight a local charity or non-profit who we respect. If you come across a charity that is not endorsed by a reputable friend or company, follow this advice to safely donate (courtesy of the IRS.gov):
- Donate to qualified charities. Use the Exempt Organizations Select Check tool at IRS.gov to find qualified charities. Only donations to qualified organizations are tax-deductible. You can also find legitimate charities at the Federal Emergency Management Agency website, fema.gov. For more information about the kinds of charities that can receive deductible contributions, see Publication 526, Charitable Contributions.
- Don’t give out information. Don’t give your Social Security number, credit card and bank account numbers or passwords to anyone. Scam artists use this information to steal your identity and money.
- Don’t give or send cash. For security and tax record purposes, don’t give or send cash. Contribute by check, credit card or another way that provides documentation of the donation.
- Report suspected fraud. If you suspect tax or charity-related fraud, visit IRS.gov and click on ‘Reporting Phishing’ at the bottom of the home page, or click here: http://www.irs.gov/uac/Report-Phishing
Keep up the good work in supporting those who are in need, but protect yourself when doing so!
