Hurricane Harvey Recovery Funds and Scams
ZANESVILLE, Ohio – Many Americans are donating to recovery funds for Texas after Hurricane Harvey, but people need to be aware of the scams out there asking for donations.
The Better Business Bureau Of Central Ohio is warning everyone that scams claiming to be sending monetary donations to Texas are out there popping up in social media, emails, and phone calls. Kip Morse explained the scammers looking for money will use any disaster to touch a person’s emotions and trick them into a false donation.
“We want you to stay away from clicking on the links, you don’t know where you’re going,” Morse said. “If you think it’s legitimate and it’s something you want to do back out of it and go directly to the organization that you thought was in that email and see what their needs are, because they’re going to have a secure link to do that.”
Another common problem seen is organizations or groups wanting to hold donations for clothing, money, and supplies to be given to victims in Texas don’t always have connections to Texas to send and give away the items in a proper manner. So according to Morse those tend to be failed and meaningless donations.
“The biggest message is to do your homework and know who you’re giving to,” Morse said. “The Better Business Bureau has the Wise Giving Alliance, which evaluates charities. You can go to give.org and you can check out all the national charities and see if they’re actually equip to provide the assistance that’s needed.”
B.B.B. and Wise Giving Alliance have a list of accredited charities raising funds for Hurricane Harvey. Now that Hurricane Irma is about to effect Florida residents, there is a larger possibility for scam artists to focus on both disasters.
“With the new Hurricane coming, it’s going to be twice as big as Texas,” Morse said. “So we need to keep in mind that we’re in it for the long hall in terms of supporting those organizations that can actually do good for these individuals.
The B.B.B. is also asking all to remember the recovery will take months to even years, and the need for funds won’t stop even when the headlines do.
