Generosity takes its form in different ways, it could be donating some of your valued time by volunteering for a good cause or maybe donating some money to the less fortunate. While there is totally nothing wrong in donating money to a worthy course, you should be wary of the way you spend your money on charities and non-profit organization especially, when natural disasters strike.



Throughout this hurricane season, the internal revenue services are reminding you of fake charities and scammers who are out to take advantage of your generosity and compassion to solicit fake donations under the guise of a sneaky scam. With a thriving charity sector in the United States, it’s no wonder criminals are seeing it as an easy target and a way to steal money from good-intentioned individuals.


Why would anyone do such a thing? It simple, they understand the fabric nature of our free giving societies and are out to fully manipulate this to their advantage. Here are a few tactics to avoid charity frauds and vet valid non-profit organizations.


Fraudsters are hard to spot but you can watch out on these warning signs.

  • Fraudulent scammers use a variety of ways to get into contact with their clients, they as well use a variety of ways to lure them into their trap. Be wary of unsolicited contacts by social media, emails, phone, or even in-person contacts.
  • There is no information on the non-profit/ charity organization anywhere. Genuine charities are regulated by the internal revenue services. Searching through our website you can find all registered genuine charities. If you search through our website or the internet and can’t locate any information, take your time before giving out anything.
  • They use strong-arm tactics. Often they will rush you into making immediate decisions without giving you time to check their organization or verifying their genuineness.
  • Fake charities use names similar to their legitimate counterparts. When you give to charities, be sure that you have the exact name to avoid mistake identify errors.
  • Such organizations are often vague and lack objectives in their mission. You can spot them out there without identity badges, lack of a fully recognizable shirt, jacket or bib.
  • Don’t boycott all charitable donations, to make protect yourself you can call the IRS toll free for any assistance on (866-562-5227). The IRS also has a search feature Tax Exempt Organization Search from where you can verify the genuineness of the charity organization. Just in case you feel you have been corned you can visit IRS.gov then search for the report phishing link, search for the scams and schemes sub link and gives detailed information about your cases.