Best 4 Ways to Avoid Online Charity Scams

If you are thinking of supporting charitable organizations, it is always good you first research well to avoid becoming a victim of a scam. Online charity scam is on the rise and there are several people who have been conned online, making it necessary to first think thoroughly before you give to charity. So what are some of the best ways to avoid online scams? Let`s have a look at the best 4 approaches. Best 4 Ways to Avoid Online Charity Scams.

Best 4 Ways to Avoid Online Charity Scams

1 – Authenticate First
2 – Read About Past Projects
3 – Watch out for Website Security Features
4 – Avoid Responding To Unsolicited Emails

1. Authenticate First:

Before you click the “donate now” button, it is important that you conduct due diligence to establish the authenticity of the organization you are about to send funds to. There are several online review websites where you will read comments about certain crowdfunding campaigns. Past donors will always share their experience in most cases. Taking time to read the comments of other people will help ensure you don’t fall into a trap someone else ever got into in the past. Therefore, do your search online and read as many posts as possible before you send any funds or show interest in giving to the organization.  In case you come across any negative indication, try as much as possible to avoid giving to that charity organization before conducting further research. Be aware that there are some people who send negative information about a certain charitable organization, yet they are just intending to blackmail their operations.

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2. Read About Past Projects:

Often, on the website, the charity organizations will share some stories on what they have achieved in the past. Read these stories and research about the case further outside the website. Note that even those online scammers know how to create fake stories and use them to solicit for money from non-suspecting individuals. Therefore, whenever you read a testimonial online, take time to research properly. This information can help to determine the authenticity of a charitable organization before giving to them.

3. Watch out for Website Security Features:

The URL of charity organization should be secured with the website security certificate. For example, HTTPS is a commonly used security protocol on websites. The letter “S” appearing after letter “P” indicates a secure connection. Most online scammers use websites that don’t have the S which shows the secure connection. If you notice this, you should stop giving to that charity before you establish the right website that they use. You might, therefore, want to cross-check the website through e-newsletters or also other publications where they have been appealing for donor support. Also, it is important that you conduct online reviews of the charity organization. Also look for the common bank accounts or other receiver accounts to establish authenticity.

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4. Avoid Responding To Unsolicited Emails:

If you have not subscribed to the alerts, you shouldn’t respond to them. Scammers will send emails to you appealing for you to give donations to them. If you have never donated to them in the past, just ignore the request and delete the message. Don’t even click on the links as long as the sender’s address appears as a strange address on your contact list. Normally, your mail provider will warn you of spam messages and so you should always keep away from such messages. Even though with today`s digital world, spammers do find a way to reach your inbox. In cases where you click on such links unknowingly, avoid sharing any information without following the above three steps to validate the message.

These are the 4 best ways in which you can avoid online charity scamming. Always have them in mind whenever you are reading donation appeals either online or on adverts.

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