Scammers are notorious for preying on the good intentions of generous people during times of tragedy.
Many of us want to reach out and help people who have suffered during times of tragedy. Yet as millions of dollars in donations are being sent to help the victims of the shooting at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida – there are fake charities popping up – that will take the money you intended for victims and keep it for themselves.
Tips To Avoid Charity Scams:
The Miami Herald spoke with Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi who offered these tips so that people who want to make donations don’t fall prey to scammers.
- Donate to an established disaster-relief charity or an established aid organization based in the Orlando area.
- Check if a charity is legitimate by checking to see if it is registered with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services at 800HelpFla.com or by calling 1-800-HELP-FLA.
- Contact the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance at Give.org to see whether a charity has any complaints against them.
- Look into how much of the donation will actually go toward the work of the charity instead of administrative costs by visiting the FreshFromFlorida.com website.
- Be careful for charities that have similar names to established charities.
- If you are a victim, file a complaint by calling 1-866-9-NO-SCAM or by visiting: MyFloridaLegal.com.
Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/state/florida/article83836047.html#storylink=cpy
Paul d’Oliveira
Attorney Paul d’Oliveira has been practicing personal injury and disability law for over 30 years. He started his personal injury law practice in 1989 with two offices in Fall River, MA and East Providence, RI. Today his firm has 16 offices in RI and Southeastern, MA.
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