Following the
unfortunate events of Hurricane Sandy, many good people want to donate money to
aid in relief efforts. However, as this video states, many of these generous
donors are being scammed. Even before the storm hit the Caribbean and the
Northeast United States, con artists began setting up fake charity web sites. Some
scammers are even going door-to-door and asking for donations. People are often
fooled by the false charity organizations because 70% of Americans do not
research charities before they donate.
To make sure
that your money goes to help people in need, research all charities before you
donate. Do not be tempted by the ease and convenience of donating via Facebook
or Twitter. Investigate the charity using the BetterBusinessBureau or other donor
review web sites. By doing your research you can be sure that families in need
are getting your donations, not a selfish scammer.
READERS, what do you think?
Why do so many people not research charities before giving?
References
Fitzpatick,
D. & Griffin, D. (2012, November 11). Scammers create fake donation websites for Sandy victims. CNN. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2012/11/11/us/superstorm-sandy-charity-scams/index.html?iref=allsearch
Ehling, J.
(2012, November 5). Be cautious went donating to Sandy victims. [Video file]. ABC News, Channel 13. Retrieved from http://abclocal.go.com/ktrk/story?section=news/consumer&id=8874426
I think many people do not research charities before giving because they automatically trust that the money they give will be put toward helping with the efforts. It is so sad to see people being scammed... especially the elderly. It is unethical and completely wrong that people are going around scamming others when our nation is in a time of need.
ReplyDeleteKatherine Stamm
I believe that most people do not research charities before giving money to them because when you hear the word "charity" you automatically think its a trustworthy organization. Charities are here to help people, and the fact that people are being scammed is completely unacceptable and a very sad situation. People give because they want to help those in need, not to help liars and cheaters. I think it is extremely disheartening and wrong that people would scam giving citizens when real charities really do need all the support they can get.
ReplyDeleteTaylor Giddings