Disasters like the Haiti earthquake provide fertile ground for scammers to work their black magic. Such disasters and the ensuing media frenzy tug at people’s heartstrings and compel many towards wanting to help. With modern technology it’s not too hard to manipulate and take advantage of that desire only to use it for anything but helping.
A perfect example is a Facebook application I have seen floating around called “Haiti Click donations” that seems to just be a spam application getting itself all over people’s profiles. With that application there is no real connection whatsoever to actual help on the ground – it is a scam. Sadly its a scam that at the point of writing, 6426 (make that 6440 with some added since I started writing this) well intentioned people have fallen for.
It doesn’t end there though. With a little bit of technical know how, anyone can establish a fundraising website with pictures, fake stories and a portal to donate that gives easy and seamless ways to do so. They will take your money and leave you thinking and feeling like you did your bit while the money makes it’s way anywhere except where you intended it to go – generally lining someone’s pocket. If the person establishing that site knows a few good techniques for search engine optimization (SEO), the amount of traffic they could generate is limited only by the size of the disaster and the international response. For some good ways to check for fakes, read this post at Good Intentions are not Enough. These scams make me extremely angry!
I think giving and helping in the international community should be woven into our lifestyle and not just around issues that the media gets in a frenzy over. The best way to avoid scams like Haiti Click donations and various others trying to take advantage of disasters like the Haiti earthquake, is to do the research and form a lasting partnership with an organisation you trust and want to support – there are many great ones out there. If you do that, then when disasters hit and you feel compelled to give, if your organisation is involved you can do so with the trust already in place. With a good relationship in place with your chosen organisation, you can give knowing that your money is going to be used effectively and you can feel the freedom to ask questions and check up on things.
Don’t get sucked in by scam organisations and fundraising schemes that aren’t helping anyone except those desiring to get rich off the misfortune of others.
Related posts:
