It is a sad reality, but when there is a disaster it doesn’t take long for criminals to find a way to profit.  Hurricane Florence is no exception.  There are numerous websites for hurricane Florence relief that have popped up in the last week.  All have very professional looking graphics and legitimate sounding names.  All of them allow you to donate directly from their web site. However, many of them are simply collecting money and putting it into their own pockets.

In addition to the “charity” websites, the bad guys are sending out phishing emails tugging at your heart strings and asking you to donate to hurricane Florence relief.  Just as you would with any other unsolicited email, don’t click on links or open attachments in these emails.  If you wish to donate, visit a charity’s website directly.

Not sure where to donate? Make sure you do your homework first. Charity Navigator is a terrific organization which investigates and rates charities.  They have hundreds of charities listed on their website.  You can see if the charity is legitimate and how much of their raised funds are given away and how much are used for administrative costs. With a little research you can make sure your good deed doesn’t turn into it’s own disaster.  Happy donating!!