With the inception of Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and other social networking interfaces, new venues for scam artists arose.

Most recently, multitudes of pleas for financial help have come under scrutiny. So one wonders, how can you tell for sure if your money is really going to charity?

Some of the latest tactics involve scammers taking on hybrid names of real stories. As an example, one might take the famous Helen Keller and change their name to Helene Keller and use Helen’s story as if it was her own.

Another more devious scam seems to be to offer “Due Diligence” advice which slants the advice to make the scam “charity” the only trustworthy charity available.

Below is some helpful advice on avoiding scams.

1. If the group claims to support a cause with donations, to be a legal Not for Profit group in the United States or Canada, they must have an Identification number that is publicly available. If the charity in question does not supply this information to you, chances are its a scam.
2. If the group only accepts donations by pre-screening individuals, you can bet it’s a scam.
   Below is an actual excerpt from a supposed advocacy organization in which they admit to not divulging information about where donations go.
3. If it is an individual asking for donations, check with trustworthy advocacy resources before donating. When in doubt, offer to volunteer your time before your money. Often, that will set the scams apart from the real people in need.
4. NEVER ever give bank information, credit card information or any other personal financial information over the internet unless you are 100% certain the site in question is legitimate. NEVER email this information.

And finally, if you suspect a scam report it to the proper authorities!

In the US

http://www.ftc.gov/charityfraud/

In Canada

http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/chrts/dnrs/lrt/1-eng.html

You can report suspected fraud to PhoneBusters, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Call Centre, at: 1-888-495-8501.