You’ve seen the devastation of Hurricane Helene in the news and online and you want to help the victims. Unfortunately, fraudsters are at work trying to prey on your good nature. Because of this, the U.S. Attorney General is warning the public to be careful before giving money to anyone soliciting donations or individuals offering to assist those affected by the hurricane. Solicitations can come from phone calls, texts, social media, email, door-to-door collections, mailings, and other methods. Before donating, please follow these guidelines:
- Make contributions directly to known organizations. Do not send money to anyone else to make the donation on your behalf.
- Do not be pressured into making contributions. Charities that are reputable do not use these tactics.
- Do not respond to any unsolicited communications, such as e-mails and text messages. Never click on links in those messages because they may be targeting your personal information.
- Instead of clicking on a link to an alleged charity, verify that it is legitimate by using online resources that may assist in confirming whether the organization is valid.
- Beware of organizations with names that are similar to, but not exactly, the same as those of reputable charities.
- Avoid cash donations. Pay by credit card or write a check directly to the charity. Do not make checks payable to individuals.
- Legitimate charities do not normally solicit donations by money transfer services.
- The website of a legitimate charity will normally end in “.org” and not “.com.”
- Do not open attachments that claim to show pictures of the disaster areas. These files may contain viruses. Only open attachments from known senders.
