The community always comes together to help one another in times of need. With people donating to social justice causes and COVID-19 relief efforts now more than ever Better Business Bureau Serving Southeast Florida and the Caribbean (BBB) wants to advise the public to exercise caution when reaching into their wallets. Unfortunately, scammers take advantage of headlines and people’s good will to create fake charities and fake crowdfunding accounts in order to take money that is meant to help others.
The following tips will help the community be sure that their charitable donations are in the right hands:
Research– Get familiar with the organization and their mission, learn how long they have been established.
Visit the official website– be careful with names that sound similar to known organizations, scammers do this to confuse people
Check their social media– usually the most updated information will be found here, read interactions and comments of other people engaging in the organization’s account
Do not wire funds– do not send wire transfers or use gift cards to provide donations, use a credit card instead of a debit card even when using platforms like Cashapp, Venmo or Paypal in case you encounter a scam.
Visit BBB’s Give.org to find charity profiles and additional information
Report fake charities and scammers to BBB Scam Tracker at bbb.org/scamtracker
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