Don’t Get Clean Out by a Scam Charity
By Allan Hoffman
Monday, January 18, 2010
Since you are a nice person who cares about other, you are probably nice enough to want to help someone in this time of crisis. But don’t get cleaned out by scammers who will take advantage of your good graces. Beware of the latest scam! Its call the, “Haiti Relief Scam”. It can hit you in your email box, or someone may come to your door. The thing is, they may show you a card with a logo that looks very real. So the website “Scam Busters” has some things you need to keep in mind.
• Always ask for an address and phone number of the charity.
• Ask if it is registered with the Better Business Bureau, then call the B.B.B.
• Verify the charity by calling its office.
• Never give in cash! You can always stop payment on a check.
• Better yet, decide in advance which charities you will support. And then say “no” to the others.
• Now that is not easy to do, so to help make it easier, just decide on a broad charity, then give a little each month. That way you can always say, “I give to the (name of your charity) already.”
Here are a couple of websites that will help:
http://www.scambusters.org/charity.html
http://www.give.org/reports/index.asp
COMMENTS
I have been receiving an email from “UPS Manager Kathy Barrera” To: <rforrester@embarqmail.com
Stating: UPS invoice NR5872 zip Subject: UPS delivery problem NR 49290
Dear customer!
We were not able to deliver the postal package you have sent on the 25th of December in time because the recipient,s address is inexact. Please print out the invoice copy attached (no invoice attached) and collect the package at out department
United Parcel Service of America. Looks like a scam to me in order to get my email address.???? Bob Perry