1/27/2010 3:22:00 PM Fraudsters using Haiti to con cash
* MCT photo. Devastation: A child looks over destroyed homes on the shoreline of the city of Petit Goave, Haiti, on Monday.
If you are unsure whether a charitable group is legitimate, there are several places to check:
* The IRS Web site (www.irs.gov) lists all charities classified as 501(c)(3) organisations, indicating they can accept tax-deductible donations.
* The Better Business Bureau (www.bbb.org) shows a charity's mission, compensation, expenses and ratings.
* Guidestar.org provides details on non-profit and charitable groups, including the charity's recent Form 990s that report executive compensation.
Claudia Buck, McClatchy Newspapers
It would be hard to find a more heart-rending situation than what continues to unfold daily in Haiti.
The rising toll of deaths and devastation have inspired a torrent of appeals for help.
Donations are pouring in. They have been driven by the news and high-profile efforts by Hollywood and political celebrities, from George Clooney to Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
From $10 texts to $100,000 corporate donations, record amounts are adding up.
In the first nine days after the powerful January 12 earthquake, more than $355 million was donated to 35 aid organizations - double the amount given during the same period to help Asian tsunami victims, according to Washington's Chronicle of Philanthropy.
Unfortunately, amid all this generosity, scam artists are preying on people moved by the tragedy.
Fake e-mails seeking donations, such as a recent one supposedly from the British Red Cross Society, are cropping up.
Barry Goggin, president of the Better Business Bureau of Northeast California, warns donors to be careful.
He said: "It's key people deal with a reputable organisation, not someone that pops up overnight on the Internet."
Like many online scams, the British bait contained telltale clues that it was a fraud - typos, misspellings and - most notably - requests that money for Haitian victims be wired via Western Union.
Donors were directed to send between $400 to $1,600 in British pounds to an address "that had nothing whatsoever to do with the British Red Cross".
Mr. Goggin added: "It's just blatant theft."
Another Haitian donation scam is on Facebook. Pages tied to relief promise to donate $1 for every user who joins. While no donations appear to have been sent in, Facebook and the FBI have both issued warnings about online donations.
Mr. Goggin said: "It could have been just a nasty prank but I suspect it was an attempt at phishing - to get people's financial information or gain access to their computers."
Anyone using the Internet to search for charities should be wary of web addresses that change a letter or word to become "lookalike, soundalike" charities.
Mr. Goggin also warned against phone calls seeking donations for Haiti victims.
He said: "It's often done by folk working on commission in boiler rooms. It's an extremely expensive way to raise money. Your best bet is to politely confirm the name of the organisation, then hang up."
