With the recent Russia-Ukraine conflict, many people are reaching into their pocketbooks to help and provide assistance to those heavily impacted by this conflict. It’s a normal reaction from many people in the world to help those in desperate need. These situations bring a sense of responsibility within us and so concerned individuals want to reach out and help victims. Unfortunately, there are nefarious and dubious motives by thieves and criminals trying to exploit the charitable nature of people. And with the current events unfolding, we are getting warnings from many organizations that we need to exercise caution when donating.
Just recently, Cybersecurity firm Avast warned that cyber criminals were taking advantage of the crisis in Ukraine to pillage donations. Avast told Reuters that “We have tracked in the last 48 hours a number of scammers who are tricking people out of money by pretending they are Ukrainians in desperate need of financial help.”
The internet is a great resource for finding information and connecting with people all over the world, but it can also be a dangerous place if you’re not careful. There are countless scams waiting to pounce on unsuspecting victims, and if you’re not careful, you could easily become one of them. Money scams, specifically, are one of the most common types of online scams, and they can be very costly for victims. If you want to avoid becoming a victim of a money scam, here are some tips to help you stay safe online.
Tips On Donating To Charities Online
Donating to charities online is a great way to give back to your community. There are many great organizations that need your help and donating online is a fast and easy way to make a difference. If you feel the noble urge to donate, you should. BUT…there are right (safe) ways and wrong ways to do so. Here are some tips to avoid money scams when donating to charities online:
Tip #1: Do Your Homework
There are many ways to verify a charity’s reputation and trustworthiness. If you visit Give.org, you can view a report by BBB’s Giving Alliance to verify their claims and legitness. The BBB has really good standards for charity accountability, so run the charity through those checks to see if they pass the test.
Tip #2: Donate To A Familiar Face
If you’ve donated to a charity before, it’s a safe bet that they’re going to be trustworthy on another go around. In some serious crises, some organizations that take only specific donations will pivot and broaden their operations to help tackle the most urgent needs. If not, they will know of another charity to where your donation can be sent to. Even though a previous charity might not accept donations on behalf of a crisis, the chances of them knowing where you can donate to are going to be high. Trust them.
Tip #3: Be Cautious With Crowdfunding
Crowdfunding is a very popular method of donating to disaster relief and causes. It’s also very common to be rife with scams. It’s best to donate to crowdfunding to someone you personally know and trust. You also need to review the platform’s policies on fees, how funds are collected, and refunds. It’s sad, but crowdfunding sites do very little research when it comes to vetting organizations and people putting together campaigns. Be very cautious with crowdfunding as a means of donating.
Tip #4: Experience Matters
Is the organization or charity experienced? Perform a Google search on the company. They should have a website. What kind of claims are they making? Are they promising 100% will be spent on the relief? If so, that might be a signal of a scam. Do you a little research on the company, but also go with the charities that have the most experience.
Tip #5: Trust Your Gut
If something feels too good to be true, it most likely is. Before you donate, go through the tips and checks we’ve outlined above. If you don’t feel comfortable with donating, then don’t. You want to feel good about donating. And it dampers the mood a little bit when you find out you’ve been conned by someone exploiting a crisis. Even though this sounds cliche, trust your gut.
The most important thing is to not let these scammers prevent you from donating. If you have the impulse to give, to want to make a change, to inspire and help a movement…you should want to exercise it. But…exercise a little diligence in knowing who you are donating to and what they’re going to do with your donation.
Simple Framework To Protect Yourself When Donating Online
It’s not just getting your donations scammed by shady organizations and people either. Making the wrong choice of where you’re donating to on the internet, can lead to your personal information getting accessed as well. Anytime you engage in any kind of currency or credit card information exchanged online, you MUST be cautious. This framework is not bulletproof (you’re always going to be susceptible to getting your information hacked), BUT…the little stuff matters and the little stuff oftentimes is going to be enough to give you an added layer of protection.
Check #1: Site Security
Don’t give away your personal information to anyone you don’t know. Is the site secure? If not, don’t donate. Sites should have a little lock engaged in the address bar of the browser and have an HTTPS as part of the URL.
Check #2: If They’re Asking Don’t Be Giving
This sounds kinda rude, but let me explain. Beware of emails asking for money or offering a too-good-to-be-true deal. The same goes for text messages. Unless you know the company and have done business with them in the past, just send that email directly to the trash. Emails are an effective way to solicit business, but it’s best to go directly to the website.
Check #3: Do Your Due Diligence
Check the legitimacy of any website or social media account before entering your credit card information. This flows in well with check #1, but look for security badges and SSL certificates. If someone is contacting you or creating a social media campaign about being a victim, be very cautious. With the crisis unfolding in Ukraine, we’ve seen a lot social media scams, propaganda campaigns, and shady phantom charities popping up. Does the website have a .org or a .com? During the hurricane Katrina crisis, the FBI identified over 4,000 websites that were fraudulent. Many of these websites were appearing in Google and Yahoo searches so people were taking them seriously! So…do your due diligence.
Check #4: Be Quick To Delete
Do not hesitate to hit that delete button when you feel the need. Don’t click on links or download attachments from unknown sources. If you don’t recognize the sender AND the email address, delete it. A lot of times, senders can change their sender name to appear to be from a legit source. Go the extra miles and check out the exact email address it’s being sent from.
Check #5: Be The Police
Sometimes the best enforcement on these shady companies is us. The internet is massive. No one government agency can manage it all. It’s impossible. They rely on us to report crimes and poor business practices. Report any suspicious activity to your bank, the police, or your local BBB.
Check #6: Get Your Head Out Of The Sand
Educate yourself about common money scams and how to protect yourself against them. Many times people don’t buy online or they don’t donate money online because they don’t want to deal with the dangers of doing so. And those are legitimate excuses. However, spending maybe 20-30 minutes a year on scams, how to protect yourself online, and just getting into the ecosystem of eCommerce is often enough. Get involved. Learn something. Because the world is evolving and we are all a resource to make the web a much safer place for us and others.
A Little Prevention Goes A Long Way
It’s important to stay safe when donating online (even buying something online), and it’s also crucial to be smart about where you’re sending your money. By getting involved with the organizations you support and by being educated on how to spot a scam, you can make sure that your donations are making a positive impact. By following the simple framework and the tips we’ve outlined in this post, you can protect yourself from becoming a victim of online fraud. Who knows…you might help protect someone else as well. And remember, always do your research before donating to any organization. There are many reputable charities doing amazing work around the world, so please find one that aligns with your values and donate generously!
