The PA State Police (PSP) is reminding residents to be alert for solicitation fraud in various forms, such as email solicitations, phone solicitations, or pop-up charities as a result of Hurricane Florence.
After a natural disaster occurs, many people rush to financially help those in need. Criminals lurk in the shadows of natural disasters and prey upon vulnerable individuals and organizations hoping that generous people, in their eagerness to assist, will donate without checking the credibility of the organization. The scammer’s plan is to profit from your intended donation. The PSP recommends doing some research and planning to help ensure your donations are used to support the intended cause.
- Never provide personal information such as your social security number, regardless of the situation.
- Be suspicious of any stranger calling asking for money, regardless of the situation.
- Government agencies will never call to ask you to verify personal information or request payment.
- Verify the legitimacy of any email and/or telephone solicitation by researching the organization or calling the company back.
- Do not assume charities that are posted on social media or on the internet are legitimate. The Federal Trade Commission recommends vetting any charity with the Better Business Bureau’s suggested websites: give.org, charitynavigator.org, charitywatch.org, and guidstar.org.
- When you consider giving to a specific charity, search its name plus “complaint,” “review,” “rating,” or “scam”.
- Be aware of copycat names similar to those of legitimate charities. Make sure you are on the correct website and not a copycat website. Watch for misspellings or improper English.
- Most legitimate charity websites end in .org rather than .com
- Never click on attachments and links in unsolicited emails.
- Designate the disaster to ensure your funds go toward disaster relief.
- Legitimate charities do not normally request donations in cash, gift cards, or via money transfers.
- To be safer, pay by credit card or check. Never write a check payable to individuals.
- Donate to charities you know and trust. Find your state charity regulator at nasconer.org
If you think you have been the target of a scam, make sure to report it by filing a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov or 1-877-FTC-HELP.