Attorney General Marty Jackley Warns of Scams Following Hurricane Harvey
PIERRE, S.D. – Attorney General Marty Jackley said today that South Dakotans should expect to be contacted by unscrupulous scammers soliciting donations to help the victims of Hurricane Harvey.
“South Dakota consumers are very generous individuals and when disaster hits we are always willing to assist,” said Jackley. “In the wake of tragedy, there are always those who want to take advantage of others for their own benefit, so please proceed with caution when choosing a charity.”
Here are a few tips to avoid becoming a victim:
- Don’t be fooled by “sound-alike” Many scam artists use names that are designed to resemble well-known charities. Don’t assume a charity is legitimate based on its name.
- If you are contacted by a professional telemarketer, donors should ask the question of what percentage is actually going to the This will help the donor make a better determination if they want to give to the telemarketer or donate directly to the charity to maximize the benefits of the funds.
- Be skeptical of e-mail requests for donations by unfamiliar organizations or those pretending to be well-known charities. This is just another attempt to obtain your personal identifying
- Be cautious of anyone wanting on-the-spot donations or refusing to provide written information about their organization. Do not contribute if they refuse to provide you with the requested
- Consider giving to charities close to the storm. Check Charity Navigator to ensure the organization is worthy of your
- Error on the side of caution when thinking of donating through a crowd funding source such as Multiple scam postings have been listed.
- Do not give a credit card number or checking account number over the phone and do not send
- The best way to ensure that the charity of your choice receives your donation is to request a return envelope. Once you receive the information in the mail use a credit card or check so that you have a record of your
For more information about charitable giving, contact the South Dakota Consumer Protection Division at 1-800-300-1986 or http://consumer.sd.gov/.
-30-
One other thing I’s like to add is that those who are looking to purchase a pre-owned or nearly new vehicle is to be very careful to find out where it came from. Their will be those few less than ethical sellers out there that will try to hide the fact that it was a vehicle that was submerged or had water damage. Some will be up front but with all the electrical and computerized components your risk goes up substantially in that you may never be able to locate and fix a problem in what seemed initially such a good buy.
There appear to be several words missing from the press release as presented here.
One additional concern about scam charities. Donations to scam charities are not deductible as charitable gifts on your federal income tax. It is the taxpayer’s/donor’s responsibility to know that the gifts they give are eligible for charitable deduction. In addition to Charity Navigator, you can search for charities on the IRS web site, on GuideStar, and at the National Center for Charitable Statistics web site operated by the Urban Institute.
[I would have included hyperlinks to the sites I mentioned above, but multiple hyperlinks in the same posting trigger this site’s spam warnings. This is not a complaint, just an explanation. A Google search for any of the organizations will give you the necessary link or links.]
We had a minister from Houston, that I know personally, on the air in Watertown this morning. I asked him about safe places to give, and he gave me the link to his Church’s website. If you want to help, I know this one gives 100% of the money to people who need it – http://www.northsidechristian.com/ways-to-help/ways-to-give/
Hope it’s ok to put this here, Pat, if not, just delete it… Thanks.