CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — As people across the Coastal Bend look for ways to help families affected by the devastating earthquakes in Venezuela, the Better Business Bureau is warning that scammers could take advantage of people's generosity by creating fake charities, fraudulent websites and misleading social media posts.
Katie Galan, director of education and community engagement at the BBB, said people should take a few minutes to research any organization before donating, verify where their money is going and be cautious of anyone pressuring them to give immediately.
"So you wanna be careful with organizations that are newly established um that are asking you to pay you know in a certain way so they're asking you to pay with some of these wallet apps or cryptocurrency or wire transfers um and you also wanna be careful with those organizations that don't have any experience in a disaster area, so if we are trying to, you know, if they're trying to raise money for something that's going on, you know, in another country or across the world and they've never been there or they don't already have boots on the ground, that should also be, um, a little bit of a red flag for you," Galan said.
Experts also recommend avoiding donations made through gift cards, wire transfers or other difficult-to-trace payment methods. Galan said a credit card is the safest way to donate.
When evaluating a charity, Galan said donors should ask what percentage of each dollar goes directly to the cause versus overhead expenses.
"You kinda wanna be a little careful with that. You wanna make sure that the bulk of your dollar is going to the cause that you are that it's intended for," Galan said.
Galan also warned that while crowdfunding platforms are sometimes used by individuals raising money for specific people or families, scammers frequently exploit them by posing as affected families and using stolen photos and information to create fraudulent campaigns. She said the safest way to use crowdfunding is only when you personally know the recipient.
The BBB recommends going directly to a charity's official website to donate rather than clicking links in emails, social media posts or text messages. Donors can also verify a charity's legitimacy by checking its nonprofit status with the IRS.
Anyone who suspects a scam or has already sent money to a fraudulent organization can report it at BBB.org or to law enforcement. The BBB also offers a charity vetting resource at Give.org.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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