Avoiding Charitable Identity Theft Scams

While tragedy can bring out the best of humanity, like all the donations and efforts being made for the survivors in Haiti.  Unfortunately, tragedy also brings out the identity thieves.  There are a wide variety of donation scams going around with the intention of stealing your money, and even your identity.  Identity thieves choose dark times like these to pounce on a persons generosity.  You may not be thinking about background checking the “charity” you’ve been prompted to donate to, and through your own kindness, an identity thief can steal your money and your information.

Which is why, if a company claiming to be a charity for Haiti contacts you about making a donation, check with the better business bureau.  They will have information on every legitimate charity, and that will tell you everything you need to know about whether or not you should donate with that company.  Although the best strategy is usually to stick to the larger charitable organizations.  Donating to charities like the Red Cross and UNICEF is the best way to guarantee that your money is actually going where you want it to.

Also, it’s best to always donate through the charity themselves.  Don’t trust a website or email that claims to offer the ability to give to the Red Cross yourself.  Always go to the website by typing the address into your browser’s address bar.  That way you can be sure every time, that the website is legitimate, and your identity won’t be stolen.

If you’d like resources to find charities that you can donate money or items to, try trustworthy websites like Charity Navigator.  With a site like that you can find a wide variety of legitimate charities, as well as the information you’ll need to make donations.  Never give money when solicited from a source that you don’t trust, and always double check to make sure you know where your money is going.