The Better Business Bureau is offering consumer safety tips following the disaster on the east coast
In the wake of Hurricane Sandy’s devastation, the BBB is offering these tips to help you decide where to direct donations to assist hurricane victims.
Jim Hegarty with the BBB in Omaha says be cautious when giving online, especially in response to unsolicited spam messages, and emails and social media posts that claim to link to a relief organization.
He says if you want to give to a charity involved in relief efforts, go directly to the charity’s website. Be cautious when relying on third-party recommendations such as bloggers or other websites because they may not have fully researched the relief organizations they list. The public can go to www.bbb.org/charity to research charities and relief organizations and 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. Charities have fund raising and administrative costs. Hegarty also says find out if the charity has an on-the-ground presence in the impacted areas.
