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Friday, March 29, 2024

Good advice regarding scammers in wake of horrific Hurricane Harvey applies every day

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Above / BBB warns donors to not throw caution to the wind in sending assistance to Texas victims of Hurricane Harvey.

Naperville Mayor will host meeting to address needs of Hurricane Harvey victims

UPDATE, Aug. 28, 2017 / Somewhat related to this story, today Mayor Steve Chirico announced a meeting this Thursday morning for the community to gather to put heads together regarding the best practices to help in the wake of Hurricane Harvey.

“We are putting together an outline about best practices, scams, service involvement and other ways to help… Donate blood… and so on,” said Chirico.

After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Naperville Responds to Katrina was established to raise funds to build 20 homes in the storm-ravaged Gulf Coast community of Pass Christian, Mississippi. During that experience, this city learned much about timing, organization and how to fulfill the unmet needs of a city devastated by many losses of life, homes, businesses, churches and most of its landmarks in a day.

The meeting will begin at 8AM Thurs., Aug. 31, at the Naperville Municipal Center, 400 S. Eagle Street.

The community is welcome to join the initiative.


Aug. 28, 2017 / The following information was submitted by the Community Outreach Coordinator for the BBB Serving Chicago & Northern Illinois. 

Don’t get taken by online or phone solictations.

BBB serving Chicago and Northern Illinois is warning consumers that emergency responders are not the only ones closely tracking the storms in Texas, as scammers often see emergencies as a prime opportunity.

Reports are already coming in about storm scams and fake 800 numbers to make donations. BBB urges all potential donors to do a little homework and seek out great charities like BBB Accredited Red Cross and others at give.org.

Chicago and Northern Illinois President and CEO Steve J. Bernas noted in a news release, “As people try to assist storm victims and their families, there will be dishonest people creating fake donation campaigns to exploit the situation and try to scam those wanting to help. While there may be a sense of urgency, we encourage people to carefully consider who exactly they are giving to, making sure they are actually providing relief to those in need.”

BBB offers wise tips for giving

Rely on expert opinion when evaluating a charity at Give.org. Be careful when relying on third-party recommendations such as bloggers or other websites, as they might not have fully researched the listed relief organizations. The public can go to BBB Wise Giving Alliance to research charities and relief organizations to verify that they are accredited by the BBB and meet the 20 Standards for Charity Accountability.

Be cautious when giving online, especially in response to spam messages and emails that claim to link to a relief organization. If you are seeking to give to a charity organization involved in relief efforts, go directly to the charity’s website. And make sure the website clearly describes what they can do to address immediate needs. Watch out for charities that don’t already have staff in the affected areas as they may not be able to provide assistance quickly.

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.

Understand crowdfunding. While this method of assisting individuals in need is popular, keep in mind that some crowdfunding sites do very little vetting of individuals who decide to post for assistance after a disaster, and it is often difficult for donors to verify the trustworthiness of crowdfunding requests for support.

Additional tips  

You can find additional tips including a list of BBB Accredited Charities, (organizations that meet the 20 BBB Standards for Charity Accountability), here: https://www.bbb.org/council/news-events/news-releases/2017/08/bbb-and-give.org-offer-tips-on-helping-texas-in-the-aftermath-of-hurricane-harvey/.

For reliable information, lists of BBB Accredited Businesses by industry, and BBB Business Reviews you can trust on local businesses and charities, visit www.bbb.org. 

Remember to always report scammers. If you’ve been cheated, report the scam to authorities and BBB Scam Tracker to warn others.

 


Editor’s Note / The Naperville Police Department also urges folks to follow advice against scammers. Locally, report scams by calling the department’s non-emergency number, (630) 420-6666.

Members of this community are very generous when it comes to responding to natural disasters. Typically, individuals take a little time to check unmet needs before putting a giving plan together in a concerted and team effort.

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PN Editor
PN Editor
An editor is someone who prepares content for publishing. It entered English, the American Language, via French. Its modern sense for newspapers has been around since about 1800.

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