West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey is encouraging consumers to be smart as well as generous when making charitable contributions during the holiday season.
The advice comes as part of the Attorney General’s Holiday Consumer Protection Week.
“West Virginians are among the most giving people I’ve known,” Attorney General Morrisey said. “Because this state is so generous, I want to remind consumers to make sure that when you’re giving to a charity, though, do a little bit of research.”
During the holidays, charitable giving increases. Scammers know this and try to take advantage of people’s good and giving nature.
Anyone with questions about the legitimacy of a charity or organization can go to the Secretary of State’s website to see if the charity is registered to solicit donations in West Virginia. Consumers may also research the charity on websites such as CharityNavigator.org or GuideStar.org.
Those interested in knowing if a donation is tax-deductible can access the U.S. Internal Revenue Service’s Tax-Exempt Organization Search at https://apps.irs.gov/app/eos/.
Those making an online contribution should make sure the website starts with https:// when visiting the donation portal. This verifies a secure connection, making it less likely for personal information to be stolen.
Here are a few tips to help consumers avoid falling victim to a holiday charity scam:
- Don’t give cash. Legitimate charities accept donations by check, credit card, or on their website, not cash, gift cards, virtual currency or wire transfer. The exception to the no cash rule is the Salvation Army’s Red Kettle Campaign. Look for Salvation Army signage or look up locations on their website.
- Some charitable organizations accept online payment options including Venmo and PayPal, but it’s always best to check with the organization before donating online.
- If the organization is unfamiliar, do research. Search its name plus “complaint,” “review,” “rating” or “scam.”
- Never feel pressured to donate immediately.
- Scams may use sympathetic-sounding names or names that are similar to the names of legitimate charities.
- Be suspicious if an organization will not give additional information about its mission, how donations are used or proof that a contribution is tax deductible.
- If a donation request is for a local chapter of an organization, verify it is authorized to solicit funds on behalf of the parent organization.
- Go directly to the charity or organization’s website instead of clicking on a link to the desired group. Most legitimate charity websites use .org, not .com or .net.
- Keep records. Contributions exceeding $250 should result in a returned letter confirming the charitable status of the organization as well as the amount of the donation.
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