Giving Tuesday or “A Day to Give” is a date where people often receive messages or emails with donation requests that end up being a scam; know how to avoid them.
This Tuesday, November 29, is “ Giving Tuesday ”, a global movement that inspires millions of people to donate to charities and spread kindness in their communities.
Giving Tuesday has the objective that people share what they have with those who need it most, in an attempt to make this world much better, however, there is no shortage of those who take advantage of the goodwill of people to scam, so you have to be vigilant.
Criminals take advantage of all the means that legal organizations use to solicit donations and sometimes their messages seem so real that they manage to defraud many well-intentioned people.
To prevent your donation from falling into the wrong hands, the first thing to do is investigate the organization to which we are going to make our contribution.
The Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) and the Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) offer the following tips to avoid being caught by scammers:
– If you are solicited for donations (whether by mail, social networks or whats app), ask for the name, address and telephone number of the charity making the request.
– Do not make payments by phone ; hang up and do some further research.
– Do not click on links or attachments in emails, text messages, or social media posts.
– Do not share information with dubious or unknown senders.
– Do not write checks or send cash to an individual applicant ; always write checks made out to the organization or use a credit or debit card.
–Do not make donations in cash, cryptocurrency, in peer-to-peer payment applications or make transfers to people.
– Keep an eye out for imposter websites and social media profiles. Check the spelling of the charity’s name in the account and on the website. Misspelled names can often be a sign of fraudulent sites.
– See how your donation will be used and what percentage of it will go to program services.
– Do not accept pressure to make your donations immediately. Do not let yourself be pressured about the amounts to donate either.
“ Don’t feel pressured by emotional appeals or urgent requests for donations. A reputable charity will appreciate your donation as much if you take the time to research the donation before giving it,” commented DFI Secretary Cheryll Olson-Collins. “With a little research and a few precautions, you can help ensure that your charitable donation is used as intended by an organization that is truly serving others.”
To check the authenticity of a charity, you can use the resources on Give.org or CharityNavigator.org.
To confirm that the organization or collector is registered with the DFI, visitwdfi.org/CharitableOrganizations. You can also email DFICharitableOrgs@dfi.wisconsin.gov or call (608) 267-1711.