In the wave of the terrible 7.0 earthquake in Haiti, we all want to help out.  But we must take the time to make sure our contributions to charity are actually going to charities and not to online scammers. As this CNet article highlights, online scams are not new in the wave of major natural disasters.

“After Hurricane Katrina, it was reported that there were some 4,000 bogus Web sites (for donation), and in that disaster we knew in advance that it was coming, so some of those Web sites even popped up before the hurricane hit, but you’re certainly seeing the same effect today,” said Sandra Miniutti, director of marketing for Charity Navigator

The FBI have put out a release reminding everyone to donate money only to charities you know and trust and only by directly typing URLs for those charities. Beware of unsolicited emails requesting charity donations and do not give your personal or financial information to anyone seeking contributions.

Read here for more tips on avoiding charity scams.

If you’re in Canada, remember that the government is matching your donations. All of us at Absolute are taking full advantage of it, and we encourage you to donate too.

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