Beware of disaster scammers

Times News readers are a generous bunch. They are eager to help those who face adversity and those who have been through a traumatizing, life-altering event.

Unhappily, con artists are equally aware of this generosity and prey on those with a good heart.

A number of funds have been started for the families of victims of the Orlando shootings. Additional funds have begun for the family of the 2-year-old Nebraska child who was snatched by an alligator at Walt Disney World and killed.

It is at times such as these that we want to show our sympathy and caring attitude by opening our wallets and purses to lessen the burden for those facing these unfathomable events. This is laudable, but we are here to tell you to be careful and to check carefully before donating.

From pennies from children to million-dollar state funding grants and big pledges from corporations, millions of dollars in donations for the Orlando shootings have broken online records.

With so many donations, reputable charitable organizations are trying to verify programs and services to make sure that every donation can be distributed directly to the victims' families.

Donations to Equality Florida's GoFundMe page, which the state's main LGBT advocacy and awareness group set up just hours after the June 12 shootings, hit $1 million before the end of the day - the fastest time frame for any campaign on the GoFundMe platform. As of this past weekend, the fund was approaching $6 million, shattering the organization's modest goal of $100,000.

Equality Florida has partnered with the National Center for Victims of Crime, the nonprofit organization that gave assistance to victims of the 2012 movie theater shooting in Aurora, Colo., that killed 12 people, and the 2015 attack in Chattanooga, Tenn., that killed four Marines and one sailor.

Another major fund that has raised millions so far for the Orlando victims is the One Orlando Fund announced by Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer the day after the shootings.

"This tragedy will not define us, but will bring us together, because we are one Orlando," Dyer said. He said that the fund is a way to "help respond to the needs of the community now and in the time to come."

Donations will be funneled through the Central Florida Foundation, a nonprofit organization that will disburse the funds through over 400 charitable organizations and programs.

While acknowledging that it's commendable for caring citizens to reach out to the victims' families, the Better Business Bureau says you need to check carefully whom you are donating to. "We want you to give compassionately, but we want you to give carefully," said Sandra Guile of the BBB.

The bureau provides these 10 common-sense rules:

• Check out the charity before donating.

• Make sure the charity is registered.

• See whether the charity has permission to use the names and photographs of the victims.

• Know how the donations will be used.

• Make sure the funds are received and administered by a reputable third party.

• Be wary of newly created advocacy organizations.

• Do not click on unfamiliar links.

• Deal only with transparent organizations which make an annual accounting of donations and expenses.

• Compare between newly created and established organizations.

• Check for tax-deductibility, because not every organization collecting funds is tax exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions designated for a specific individual/family are not deductible as charitable donations.

The bureau says it is hearing of "click-bait" requests for donations (that lead to questionable websites) as well as vague crowdsourcing campaigns, where it's very tough to know where your money is going. There are also those who go through communities with canisters asking for donations for these victims. It is difficult to verify whether these are legitimate appeals or scammers.

The problem is that in these days of immediacy, charities can pop up overnight, and in just a few hours raise thousands of dollars, without anyone really knowing who they are.

The BBB says that this is a big change from the days when the American Red Cross served as the pass-through for most of the money collected for disaster victims. Anyone can open up a GoFundMe or Facebook page, link it to the #OrlandoUnited page and start accepting money.

You work hard for your money, so make sure your donation gets to its intended destination. Give with your heart, but make sure your eyes are wide open when you do.

BRUCE FRASSINELLI tneditor@tnonline.com