Charity Scams are designed to prey on the goodwill and generosity of others.
Personally, I find them quite despicable as not only are they cheating people out of their money but they are also denying the generally needy who would have benefitted through the charity too.
More often than not, these scams are rare, only surfacing when major tragedies occur around the world.
At other times the favoured approach is to say they represent a charity for terminally ill children or similar.
In both cases, they aim to illicit an emotional response because then it is easier to extract money from you!
The people behind these scams are slick, often producing the items they require to work their scams well.
Collectors at supermarkets or in busy town thoroughfares with photo id badges, charity names that sound just like one you think you’ve heard of, spoofed email addresses, websites that look like legitimate charities… the list goes on…
Personally, I actually know of one so-called legitimate charity that is fraudulent, or at least the guy in charge in this area was.
He would take a group of people to high traffic spots and have them collect for a childrens’ cancer fund.
At the end of the day he would open up the collection tins and take up to 90% as wages for himself and his helpers!
The more elaborate scams are online.
After a major disaster the scammers will set up fake websites and spam thousands of people on their email lists with letters asking for help.
In these cases not only are they looking for some instant cash but they are also phishing for credit card numbers and online payment processor details too.
The main thing to remember, that almost every charity will tell you, is that they won’t try to solicit help from individuals.
Sure, they’ll lobby governments and air appeals on television and radio, but they are not going to start sending unsolicited email!
Despite being a charitable organisation, they still have a reputation to uphold.
If you ever wish to help those in need then try and stick to the nationally known charities.
It may be worth researching them on the internet.
Information such as what percentage of donations reaches the target after expenses are accounted for should be readily available.
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Lee's non-technical background allows him to write about internet security in a clear way that is understandable to both IT professionals and people just like you who need simple answers to your security questions.
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