By REBECCA RUTHERFORD
For the Los Alamos Daily Post

We’ve all seen the news and probably tried to shield our kids from the worst of it and many people are looking for ways to help people in Gaza and Israel during this crisis. Unfortunately this leaves people wide open to scammers, read on to learn how to safely donate and avoid getting scammed.

There have already been reports of unsolicited phone calls, texts and emails asking for charitable donations for Israel and Gaza. Be wary of any unsolicited communications like this, most charity organizations won’t contact you asking for donations.

For phone calls and texts, keep in mind that caller ID is really easy to spoof, so a call from “Red Cross” could still be a scam. The same thing applies to email, it is really simple to spoof an email and make it look like it is coming from pretty much whoever you want.

Also always double check the charity’s name as listed in the email or URL, a common trick with scammers is to very slightly misspell a name in the URL so you don’t even notice you are going to a fraudulent website.  E.g. “redcross [.] org” vs. “redcorss [.] org”, could be pretty hard to notice in an email or text link. Also watch out for fake social media profiles requesting donations! It’s easy to make a fake profile page with a name that is just slightly off and can be hard to catch. Like instead of Red Cross maybe RedCross Fans, or something just a little off from the actual name.

Another red flag is pressure to donate immediately. Any pressure to give could definitely be signs of a scam. If an organization asks you to donate via money order or gift cards, this is another sure sign of a scam.

Always go directly to the charity organization’s website to make a donation, don’t blindly click a link or respond to an unsolicited phone call.

If you aren’t sure about the legitimacy of an organization you can look them up via sites like Give.org.  According to their website, “BBB Wise Giving Alliance provides charity reports, which help donors review charities and find a trustworthy charity to support. We also conduct charity assessments to help charities improve their practices and demonstrate trust.” so if you aren’t sure about an organization you can look them up here. The Better Business bureau offers a similar service here. The best advice is likely to give locally to a charitable organization you are already familiar with. Finally, the FTC offers a site giving general advice on charity scams, which can be found here.

Helping the people in need in the Middle East is definitely worthwhile, but keep in mind scammers are waiting to take advantage of you, and be cautious. Donate to trusted charities, directly through their websites rather than clicking a link in an email or text, or calling a number.

Editor’s note: Rebecca Rutherford works in information technology at Los Alamos National Laboratory.