For more information contact:
Angie Barnett 410-347-3981
443-223-1303 cell
Jody Thomas 410-347-8593
443-254-0464 cell

Not All Charities are Equipped to Help with Haitian Earthquake
Some Might be Fraudulent

January 14, 2010 - As immediate relief needs are assessed in the wake of the devastating earthquake in Haiti on January 12th, many Americans are looking for ways to help by donating to a charity. Better Business Bureau warns that-as occurred following the tsunami in 2004 and Katrina in 2005-fraudulent charities will likely emerge to try and scam donations from well-meaning Americans.

"Whenever there is a major natural disaster, be it home or abroad, there are two things you can count on. The first is the generosity of Americans to donate time and money to help victims, and the second is the appearance of poorly run and in some cases fraudulent charities," said Angie Barnett, President and CEO, BBB | Greater Maryland.  "Not only do Americans need to be concerned about avoiding fraud, they also need to make sure their money goes to competent relief organizations that are equipped and experienced to handle the unique challenges of providing assistance."

BBB | Greater Maryland offers the following tips to help Americans decide where to direct donations:

Rely on expert opinion when it comes to evaluating a charity.
Be cautious when relying on third-party recommendations such as bloggers or other Web sites, as they might not have fully researched the listed relief organizations. The public can go to www.bbb.org/charity to research charities and relief organizations to verify that they are accredited by the BBB and meet the 20 Standards for Charity Accountability.

Be wary of claims that 100 percent of donations will assist relief victims.
Despite what an organization might claim, charities have fund raising and administrative costs. Even a credit card donation will involve, at a minimum, a processing fee. If a charity claims 100 percent of collected funds will be assisting earthquake victims, the organization might still be incurring fund raising and administrative expenses. They may use some of their other funds to pay this, but the expenses will still be incurred.      

Be cautious when giving online and via text messaging.
Be cautious about online and text giving, especially in response to spam messages, emails and solicitations that claim to link to a relief organization. In response to the tsunami disaster in 2004, there were concerns raised about many Web sites and new organizations that were created overnight allegedly to help victims. With the advent of new technology, new ways to help are on the rise.

The Red Cross and other organizations are accepting donations via text messages from your cell phone. When you see these requests on social networking sites and in the news, be sure the organization is one you can trust and go to the the organization's own Web site to verify the information before you contribute. Regular text message charges will apply - check your monthly phone bill to review your charges.     

Find out if the charity has an on-the-ground presence in the impacted areas.
Unless the charity already has staff in the effected areas, it may be difficult to get new aid workers to quickly provide assistance. See if the charity's website clearly describes what they can do to address immediate needs.

Find out if the charity is providing direct aid or raising money for other groups.
Some charities may be raising money to pass along to relief organizations. If so, you may want to consider "avoiding the middleman" and giving directly to charities that have a presence in the region. Or, at a minimum, check out the ultimate recipients of these donations to ensure the organizations are equipped to effectively provide aid.

Gifts of clothing, food or other in-kind donations.
In-kind drives for food and clothing-while well intentioned- may not necessarily be the quickest way to help those in need - unless the organization has the staff and infrastructure to be able to properly distribute such aid. Ask the charity about their transportation and distribution plans. Be wary of those who are not experienced in disaster relief assistance.

E-mail/Social Networking sites featuring victims and photos.
Be skeptical of individuals representing themselves as surviving victims or officials asking for donations via e-mail or social networking sites. These communications could be scam artists "phishing" for personal identifying information. Emails claiming to show photos of the disaster area may contain links when opened may contain viruses. 

About BBB | Greater Maryland
Headquartered in Baltimore, BBB | Greater Maryland is a non-profit organization that was established in 1922. It serves 18 Maryland counties and Baltimore City.  In 2009, BBB | Greater Maryland provided more than one million free Reliability Reports on area businesses and charities, processed more than 7,000 reportable complaints and conducted numerous investigations shutting down fradulent web sites and assisting law enforcement agencies. Your BBB is supported by Accredited Businesses that have passed a comprehensive review, met 13 standards of trust, and that agree to uphold those standards including commitments to advertise honestly, and to address marketplace disputes quickly, respectfully, and reasonably. For more information please contact BBB |Greater Maryland at 410-347-3990 or visit www.bbb.org .