Children Charity Scams

Deep down, each of us wants to help those who are less fortunate than we are. Many people help others through donations to a large assortment of charity and non-profit organizations. Regrettably, con artists have discovered this is an easy method of wheedling money from people and have set up their own charity fronts.

Popular deceptions in recent years are charities supposedly set up to help needy children and families in foreign countries. The public is flooded with brochures and images on television predicting starving children or destitute families. The recipient is told how much their money will help and given an addressed envelope.

Of course, no one wishes to see children or families suffer starvation or disease, but donating any money to an organization without complete knowledge of how it will be distributed is never a smart idea. Within the past few years, several scams have demonstrated that the money collected for various charities have instead gone right into the scammers pockets and never reach the needy recipients. Unfortunately, the occurrence of such flagrant deceits has tainted all charities, and many of these organizations are authentic, working diligently to help those in need.

Charitable organizations use magazines, mailings, television, the Internet, and other means to reach a wide audience. They ask for donations from ten dollars up. However, thinking critically for a moment, one would realize that the vast majority of the money is actually going to pay for these advertisements in the first place.

As an example, one charity that was investigated was set up legally and actually sent money to the needy in foreign lands. But it was disclosed that ninety percent of the money that was donated to them went for the generous salaries of the administrators. This left very little for the needy and, in the end, this charity was just another deceit.

Charitable frauds take many guises. They may pretend to aid abandoned animals, refugees, poverty-stricken people, or any other worthy cause. Sincere charitable foundations do indeed exist, but others are set up for the sole purpose of transferring money from your bank account to theirs.

To avoid being taken in by a charity scam it is very important to investigate the organization thoroughly. An investigation can be conducted through sources such as the Internet, consumer complaint divisions, government agencies, the Better Business Bureau, and other such methods. If a telephone number and name is given it is important to use telephone services such as http://reverse-phone-searching.info/843/818/ to verify if the caller is really whom they claim to be.

If someone comes directly to your house collecting donations for a well-known charity, you should immediately be wary. One has no way of knowing if this is where the money is going or if it is going into the collector’s pocket. In the end, direct donations through the organization’s channel is your best solution.