The holiday season tends to be the best time of year for charities raising funds for their causes, however, it can be tough sometimes to tell if a charity is as legitimate as they say.
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In 2023, Americans donated over 3.1 Billion during Giving Tuesday, one of the biggest days for raising charitable funds. While those funds were all reported by reputable charities, it can be tough to tell which organizations use the money for the services they advertise, versus those that mainly spend donations on salaries and overhead and others that are outright scams.
Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody released several safety tips for consumers on how to determine the legitimacy of a charity to avoid being scammed below:
- Research the Charity: Before donating, research the charity and make sure it is accredited by the Better Business Bureau or check for the organization’s rating on CharityNavigator.org.
- Beware of Similar Names: Scammers may use names similar to well-known charities – changing the spelling of a word or adding a different domain name (St. Jude vs St. June, UNICEF vs UNIFCE, etc.)
- Be Cautious of Solicitations: Do not automatically trust phone calls, emails or text messages from unknown or unverified sources requesting donations.
- Don’t Share Sensitive Information Online: Never provide personal or financial information to an unexpected contact.
- Secure Online Donations: When donating online, ensure the website is secure and the URL begins with ‘https://.’ Look for the padlock symbol in the web address bar.
“These are wonderful days of family and giving. We want to make sure we are encouraging that, but we want Floridians to be protected and be safe,” said Moody.
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