Give freely, avoid scams, storm-relief donors urged

The devastation wreaked by Harvey has left thousands of people homeless and many others wanting to help, often through charitable organizations.

"We want individuals to be generous, but we also want them to be wise in the way they give," cautioned Janet Robb, president and chief executive officer of the Arkansas Better Business Bureau.

Better Business Bureaus around the country "are already seeing crowdfunding appeals of a dubious nature, and in the days ahead expect to see 'storm chasers' looking to make a quick buck off of clean-up efforts," the national organization said in a news release.

In addition to avoiding scams, donors should remember that the flooding in southeast Texas presents special challenges even to some legitimate charities when it comes to getting the goods and money to those in need.

"Sometimes it's good to go with an old standby like the American Red Cross. They're already on the ground," Robb said. "Some organizations may want to gather goods ... and take them down there. The problem right now is ... they may not be able to get there.

"At this point, it's often wise to go ahead and give dollars [rather than supplies] to an organization that you know is already on the ground. They already have the distribution channels set up."

There is also no need to rush, Robb said.

"The need is so great," she said. "It's going to be long term, so while relief and money and things are needed desperately right now, they will also be needed in a week or two. Don't ever feel pressured."

[STORM TRACKER: Follow Harvey’s projected path]

That's exactly what scammers want -- to pressure prospective donors by phone, email or other means. So when a caller says he's from a charitable organization that doesn't sound familiar, Robb has a suggestion.

"I would tell them, 'Let me check their Better Business Bureau report, and call me back in a couple hours.' If they're not legitimate, they won't [call back]," Robb said. "A legitimate charity is just as glad to get your money tomorrow or next week as they are to get it today. That sense of urgency is sometimes a red flag."

The bureau's give.org website can be used by prospective donors to check an organization's credentials, though Robb said it does not pretend to be a complete list of all legitimate organizations. The website also features a list of organizations that voluntarily participate in the Wise Giving Alliance's National Charity Seal Program.

Earlier this week, the bureau released a shorter list of accredited charities that are raising money for Harvey relief assistance. That shorter list included such groups as the Houston Humane Society and the Salvation Army.

The Federal Trade Commission recommends the Better Business Bureau site, Charity Navigator, Charity Watch and GuideStar as places to check the legitimacy of a charity. The agency also recommends that donors designate contributions as disaster relief to ensure their money goes toward that purpose rather than a general fund.

Charity Navigator, at charitynavigator.org, offers a long list of what it considers highly rated charities that are responding with storm relief. But Charity Navigator says it's not certain yet if all of the organizations will spend all of the contributions on relief.

One thing to keep in mind is that scammers sometimes do spinoffs on the names of prominent organizations, so people may wrongly think the National Red Cross is a respected charity when it's really the American Red Cross. Scammers also will fabricate the names of chapters of divisions of a national organization, so even those should be confirmed if they are unfamiliar to a donor.

Scammers also play on people's emotions.

Robb also cautioned that scammers often will put key words in their fictitious group's name -- such as relief, children, cancer, children's, veterans, military and American -- to make them sound more legitimate.

"It lends an air of familiarity," she said.

Among the charities that meet Better Business Bureau standards and that are raising funds for Harvey assistance are the American Red Cross; AmeriCares; Church World Service; Direct Relief; GlobalGiving Foundation; the Houston Food Bank; the Houston Humane Society; the Humane Society of the United States; Islamic Relief USA; MAP International; Operation USA; Salvation Army; Save the Children; United Methodist Committee on Relief; and the United Way of Greater Houston.

State Desk on 08/31/2017