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From the desk of Jason Balderama, CISO, County of Marin
The holiday season is upon us, and it's a great time to support the causes you care about most. Cybercriminals know this, and will do everything they can to fool you into donating to their bank accounts instead.
Here are some tips to help you avoid the scams and ensure that your donations get to the right place.
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Search online for the cause you care about. For example, use phrases like “hurricane relief” or “homeless kids” plus phrases like “best charity” or “highly rated charity.” Once you find a specific charity, search its name plus “complaint,” “review,” “rating,” “fraud,” or “scam.” If you find bad reviews, it might be best to find another organization.
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Check out the charity’s website. Does the web site give you details about the programs you want to support or how it uses donations? How much of your donation will go directly to support the programs you care about? If you cannot find detailed information about a charity’s mission and programs, be suspicious.
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Use one of these organizations to help you research charities.
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Find out if the fundraiser and the charity are registered. Some states require that charities register with the state regulator. Check to see if a fundraiser and the charity they’re calling on behalf of are registered with your state’s charity regulator. National Association of State Charity Officials
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Check if the donation will be tax deductible. If this is important to you, confirm that the organization you’re donating to is registered with the IRS as a tax-exempt organization. Look up the organization in the IRS’s Tax Exempt Organization Search.
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Don’t let anyone rush you into making a donation. Scammers rush you so there’s no time to research their claims or think it through.
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Don’t trust caller ID. Technology can make it easy for scammers to fake caller ID information. Calls can look like they come from your local area code, or from a specific organization, even if they do not. In reality, the caller could be anywhere in the world.
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If the fundraiser says you already pledged, stop and check. They may lie and say in a phone call or a mailer that you already pledged to make the donation, or that you donated to them last year. They think that means you will be more willing to donate.
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Listen carefully to the name of the charity, write it down, and then research it. Some scammers use names that sound a lot like other charities to trick you.
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Watch out for sentimental claims with few details. Be suspicious if you hear a lot of vague sentimental claims. For example, the charity may claim to help families that cannot afford cancer treatment and veterans wounded at war who can’t work, but do not give specifics about how your donation will be used.
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Don’t donate with a wire transfer or gift card. If someone asks you to donate by wiring money through companies like Western Union and MoneyGram, or buying gift cards and sending them the codes, don’t do it. Scammers ask you to pay that way because these payment methods are hard to track. It is safest to donate by credit card or check after you have done your research.
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Copyright © 2024 County of Marin, All rights reserved. |
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Disclaimer
The information provided in Marin CyberSafe News is intended to increase people’s awareness of cybersecurity and to help them behave in a more secure manner. Links in this newsletter are provided because they have information that may be useful. The County of Marin does not warrant the accuracy of any information contained in the links and neither endorses nor intends to promote the advertising of the resources listed herein. The opinions and statements contained in such resources are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the opinions of County of Marin.
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