RICHMOND, Va. (WAVY) – Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring is warning residents to take caution before making donations to charities related to Hurricane Dorian.
Watch your where your money goes. Virginia AG Herring is warning Virginians ahead of destructive Hurricane Dorian making its way to the East Coast.
In a press release sent out Tuesday noon, the Attorney General says it is the first instinct of Virginians in a time of disaster to help out with whichever way they can. However, it is also the perfect moment for “immoral scammers” to take advantage and profit off of other people simply looking to help a person in need.
I am encouraging all Virginians to research a charity that is claiming to help hurricane victims thoroughly before donating any money.”
Virginia Attorney General Mark R. Herring
So in a push to encourage Virginians to take on a more cautious mindset, Attorney General Herring listed ways one can protect their wallets.
Tips for checking legitimate crowdfunding sites online:
- Check the creator or page owner’s credentials and confirm the site’s authenticity and seriousness about the cause.
- Some sites offer verification and transparency measures for campaigns. Look for indicators that the page is actually collecting funds for the cause.
- Always be cautious. If you feel uneasy, look for a more established charity and contribute to that.
Advise for checking legitimate charities:
- Be wary of charities that spring up overnight in connection to a current event or a natural disaster. Even if they legitimate, they might not have the experience or infrastructure to handle donations properly.
- Only give to charities and fundraisers you can confirm are reliable and legitimate. Check with consumer advocates and friends to see how much of your donations will go to the charity’s programs and services.
- Beware of copy cat names that sound like reputable charities. Scammers tend to use names that resemble those of respected, legitimate organizations.
- Do not be pressured into giving. legitimate organizations will not expect you to donate immediately.
- Ask for written information about the charity including name, address, and telephone number. Know everything you can about the charity before making any donations.
- Avoid cash donations and make checks payable to the organization, not to the individual collecting the donation.
- For security and tax purposes, make donations online through credit card.
- If donating online, make sure the site is reliable and secure. See if other legitimate websites will link to tat site.
You can verify a charity’s registration with the Virginia Dapratment of Agriculture and Consumer Services’s Office of Charitable and Regulatory programs (OCRP) by calling (804) 786-1343 or by going through the OCRP’s database at http://cos.va-vdacs.com/cgi-bin/char_search.cgi
The Office of Charitable and Regulatory Programs can be reached at P.O Box 1163, Richmond, Virginia 23218. Their site can be reached HERE.
A copy to the OCRP’s Charitable Complaint Form can be found HERE and a copy to the Attorney General Consumer Complaint Form can be found HERE.
