Safeguard your generosity and ensure your contributions reach the people who truly need them.
As wildfires continue to burn throughout Los Angeles County and media outlets are filled with images of devastating loss, many people feel compelled to help those affected by donating to relief efforts. However, it’s important to remain vigilant as scammers see these times of empathy as opportunities to exploit goodwill. To prevent becoming a victim of a donation scam, consider these tips before making a contribution:
Ignore Unsolicited Donation Requests: In a time when technology can be used to easily mimic legitimate organizations, receiving a phone call, text message, or email asking for donations can be deceiving. Do not to provide any personal or financial information to any unsolicited communication. Instead, contact reputable charities directly through their official websites.
Check a Charity’s Legitimacy: To check a charity’s credibility, start by looking it up on Give.org, which will inform you if it meets the BBB Standards for Charity Accountability. Trusted organizations such as the American Red Cross, Direct Relief, GlobalGiving, and The Salvation Army are typically safe bets for making contributions.
A key indicator of a charity’s integrity is how much of your donation goes directly towards the cause versus administrative costs. A good benchmark is to support organizations where less than 25% of donations are used for non-charitable expenses. Visit Charity Navigator to investigate a charity’s credibility and operational transparency.
Legitimate Aid Does Not Require Payment: It’s not only donors who are targets of scams—victims of the disasters themselves are also vulnerable. Criminals impersonating Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) officials will try to contact disaster victims by seeking personal information or money and claiming it’s necessary for assistance or paperwork completion. Remember, legitimate aid and services do not require payment.
You can make a significant difference to your community while protecting your personal information. By doing so, you support disaster relief efforts without becoming a victim of opportunists aiming to exploit the situation.
