Hurricane Ike

[Guest guest]

Hi Folks,

 

Many folks will want to help with Hurricane Ike relief. Please be

careful of scammers pretending to raise money for hurricane relief. I

know of one online scam already running.

 

If you want to donate money or supplies, I urge you to donate directly

to organizations that you are already familiar with, such as the

Salvation Army, the American Red Cross or Catholic Charities, USA.

These organizations accept donations on their websites, or at local

offices.

 

There are some signs you can watch out for to protect yourself from scams:

 

1- Most legitimate relief organizations do not go door to door

requesting donations. Be very skeptical of anyone doing door to door

collections.

 

2- If you receive an email from someone you don't know requesting

donations to be sent directly to them rather than directly to a known

relief organization, it is almost assuredly a scam. There is no need

for anyone to act as a collecting agent for relief organizations.

 

3- If you do not recognize the name of a relief organization, do a bit

of online research to make sure they are a legitimate organization. As I said earlier, it is best to make donations directly to relief organizations you are already familiar with, through their online donation forms or at their local offices.

 

Cordially,

 

Tim Gamble

Sustainable Future blog