Attorney General Todd Rokita is warning Hoosiers to watch out for scammers soliciting donations for fake charitable causes. Good samaritans started a legitimate fundraising effort to support families of those killed and wounded during the July 13 attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, but scammers have used this tragedy to start their own copycat efforts to lure donors to give money to imposter accounts.
“These fraudsters appeal to people’s natural sense of compassion and patriotism in order to steal their hard-earned money,” Attorney General Rokita said. “Although most of us are appalled by such vile conduct, this is exactly the way scammers think and operate. They try to take advantage of difficult circumstances for their gain. We want to help good-hearted Hoosiers avoid falling for these schemes.”
Attorney General Todd Rokita encourages Hoosiers to exercise caution not only in regard to this specific scam but anytime they receive solicitations related to high-profile news events that scammers may attempt to exploit.
In regard to solicitations involving political figures and causes, caution is especially warranted during an election year when many Hoosiers will receive more emails, phone calls and other communications from political organizations.
Attorney General Rokita offers the following tips:
- Slow down. A real charity will accept your donations any day of the week. Take as much time as you need to research and feel confident about the organization before handing over your hard-earned money.
- Know that it’s OK to ask questions. If the request for a donation is over the phone, the caller should be able to answer critical questions.
- Know who’s making the request. Don’t assume a request to donate is legitimate because a friend posted it on social media. Your friend might not personally know about the charity or how it spends money.
- Make sure you are dealing with the real charitable organization. Be leery of year-end appeals from unknown or unfamiliar organizations you receive by phone, mail, email and/or social media.
- Always donate by credit card rather than cash or other methods. This will ensure you can access the protections available through your credit card company.
- Research the cause or the organization. Search online for the name of the organization or cause with words like “review,” “scam,” or “complaint.” See if others have had good or bad experiences with the charity. Check out what charity watchdog groups say about that organization.
- Look up a charity’s report and ratings on these websites:
- CharityNavigator.org
- CharityWatch.org
- Give.org
- Guidestar.org
If you ever suspect a scam of any type, file a complaint at indianaconsumer.com or call Attorney General Rokita’s office at 1-800-382-5516.
