Being Prudent in Donating Money (Katrina)

Here is information on how to give directly to organizations involved in the Katrina Relief Effort. Going through a third party can lead to fraud, or at the very least all of your money may not reach it's intended purpose. Third party fund raising organizations often pay people to solicit and take a cut of the proceeds.

The FBI is warning about fraudulent spoofing, phishing and pharming activity already associated with Katrina. For more information, here is a previous post, I did:

http://fraudwar.blogspot.com/2005/09/fbi-reports-fraudulent-activity-on.html

If you give on line, which is a great way, please ensure that the URL (http://) is correct. A common ploy in fraud is to alter the URL and impersonate a recognized and trusted name.

Also, please note, I have a donation box on my blog. This is to support the site and is sometimes used to help victims, who solicit my assistance. Please do not donate any money for Katrina here.

Here is a list, along with proper URL's and some telephone numbers, of organizations that are directly involved in the Katrina Relief Effort.

The United Way, http://national.unitedway.org/, 800 272-4630.

American Red Cross, http://www.redcross.org/, 800-HELP-NOW

Salvation Army, www.salvationarmyusa.org, 800-SAL-ARMY

Network for Good, www.networkforgood.org.

Habitat for Humanity, http://www.habitat.org/, 800-HABITAT.

Samaritan’s Purse, http://www.samaritanspurse.org/, 800 665-2843.

Save the Children, http://www.savethechildren.org/, 800 728-3843.

Humane Society of America, http://www.hsus.org/, 888 259-5431.

Feed the Children, http://www.feedthechildren.org/, 800-525-7575.

America’s Second Harvest, http://www.secondharvest.org/, 800 771-2303.

Craig's List is also doing an outstanding job in getting the information out to help the victims. Here is a link with more resources and recognized charities:

http://neworleans.craigslist.org/about/help/katrina_aid.html

Here are three resources, one can use to check the validity of any organization soliciting donations for Katrina.

Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance, http://www.charitynavigator.org/.

Charity Navigator, http://www.charitywatch.org/.

American Institute for Philanthropy, http://www.guidestar.org/.

Also, here is another post I did with information from the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) on how to give wisely and ensure the money get's to the right place.

http://fraudwar.blogspot.com/2005/09/ensuring-katrina-victims-receive-your.html

As always, if you suspect fraud, please report it. Here is a site linked to the FBI, where you can do so: http://www.ic3.gov/.