A Wolf In Sheep’s Clothing
🚀 The quick version: Hawaii State Attorney General, Anne Lopez, is warning people to take caution when considering who you are donating to when it comes to the devastating wildfires. Officials in Florida are making the same warnings about fraudsters ready to capitalize on Hurricane Idalia.
Unfortunately, these warnings are nothing new.
With the Better Business Bureau reporting over 40,000 scam reports in 2022, predatory tactics are getting more and more sophisticated.
Scams can be direct calls to your phone, erroneous links in your emails, or even AI voices that can be made to sound like your kids (this is why every family needs a safe word). None of us is safe and the tools scammers use are only getting more complex.
👪 How it affects your family: If you are thinking of giving a donation to a charity or helping some cause or person, thats great… but do some homework first.
We suggest following these key steps:
Investigate. The BBB Wise Giving Alliance monitors and evaluates charities and other watchdogs worth checking out are the American Institute of Philanthropy’s Charity Watch, Charity Navigator, and GuideStar.
Watch out for signs. If someone calls you and is pushy, asks you to wire money (vs. giving through a check or credit card), is unwilling to confirm their identity, or is mimicking the name of a well known brand, these are all tell tale signs of a scam. Especially when it comes to phone calls, if you do not want them make sure you are registered on The National Do Not Call Registry.
Confirm the donation is tax-deductible. Only gifts to charities with 501(c)(3) status are potentially tax-deductible. Some organizations will say that they are, but have not registered with the IRS (you can check here).
Beware of online donation platforms. Money given to a personal GoFundMe fundraiser is considered a personal gift, not a donation (so it is not tax exempt). If you are considering donating to any of these sites scrutinize them carefully and know exactly where the funding is going.
If you want to take it a step further, we would also encourage you to involve your kids as you go about the above.
The power of giving is still something to be admired and teaching your kids to adopt a spirit of generosity early may help them wind up finding their own purpose in life.
Here are some resources to help:
Some suggestions. If you need some tips for how to get your kids going learning to give some of their hard earned money (as well as a few suggested causes) check out our handy free guide here.
Watch out for false advertising. In line with the above, teaching your kids early to spot suspicious advertising is vital in a world where we all get bombarded by more and more technology. Here are some steps you can take to help them identify false ads.
Lastly, should you feel moved to give to an organization that is supporting victims of the Maui Fires or Hurricane Idalia, we recommend the American Red Cross.
