TOLEDO, Ohio — Sibling to Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday is Giving Tuesday, a day to give back and donate during the holiday season.
For those wanting to donate to an organization, it's important to be vigilant of scams to avoid having your generosity taken advantage of. Here's how to research the credibility of an organization before you donate, according to the Federal Trade Commission:
Search for key words and reviews
- Search for a cause you are interested in, such as "hurricane relief" or "pet shelters"
- Search for key words alongside words like "best charity" and "highly rated charity"
- Once you have selected a charity, search its name again with the terms "scam", "fraud," "rating" and/or "review". If you find bad reviews, it may not be a good organization to donate to.
Investigate the charity
- Look through the charity's website for information on its mission, work and programs, as well as how the donations will be used
- Be suspicious if you can't find information on the charity's mission and programs
- If the charity appears on social media, investigate it, even if it appears a friend you trust shared it
Use charity research websites
The Federal Trade Commission recommends the following sites, which allow you to search for charitable organizations and learn more about them:
Check for registrations
Many states require that charities are registered with the state regulator, the FTC said. Click here to see the regulators in each US state.
Check for tax-deductible status
Find out if the organization you wish to donate to by searching for its tax-exempt status in the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search here.
What if someone calls you asking for donations?
Robocalls and phone scams are commonplace, but not every unsolicited phone call is illegitimate. Here are some things to know about these calls.
- Callers can only call between the hours of 8 a.m. and 9 p.m.
- Callers must disclose their name and purpose, and cannot deceive you or lie about the purpose of the organization
- Calls cannot be prerecorded or robocalls unless you are already a member of the charity or a prior donor
- Don't trust your caller ID - phone numbers can be spoofed to make it appear like a local number
- Research the organization before paying over the phone
Payment tips
- Don't pay with wire transfers or gift cards
- Do donate with credit card or check
- Ensure online payments are encrypted with an "https" in the web address
- Be suspicious if the organization insists you only donate with cryptocurrency
Reporting charity scams
If you have reason to believe an organization or person claiming to be a charity is actually a scam, you can report it both at the federal and state level:
