Reports of the devastation in Haiti has brought upon a generous wave of giving by Americans. More than $130 million has been donated so far and about $25 million of that was given by a new way of donating — texting. Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray discussed the ways to make sure that your donation is legitimate and does not cost you more in this week’s segment of Cordray’s Consumer Solutions on WSYX-TV in Columbus.

There have recently been some reports of look-alike Web sites and e-mail solicitations that are asking consumers to donate for victims of the Haiti earthquake. Unfortunately, when there is a large-scale disaster, scammers look for ways to profit from the generosity of others. This happened following the Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, and it is happening again with the earthquake in Haiti.

Texting donations is an easy way to give, but in some cases there may be some added charges that you didn’t anticipate. Typically, users donate a set dollar amount by texting a certain word to a five or six digit code and the donation, and any additional texting fees, will be applied to your cell phone bill the next month. Some wireless carriers have said that they will waive fees if users donate to certain earthquake relief efforts, but users should ask their wireless company before donating.

To protect yourself:

• Ask questions.
• Don’t respond to unsolicited e-mails.
• Be skeptical of anyone asking for donations by e-mail or social networking sites.
• Make contributions to known, legitimate organizations.
• Check your cell phone bill for any strange or unfamiliar charges.
• Contact the Ohio Attorney General's Office, (800) 282-0515, if you receive a suspicious e-mail, text or phone call about donating for earthquake relief and it doesn’t feel right.

Links

Cordray’s Consumer Solutions – WSYX ABC 6