Making sure your donations are protected

Many are facing in the wake of historic tornadoes ripping through the midwest and southeast. But there is a way to help. If you feel called to donate to relief efforts, there are ways you can do that.

But WINK News wants to make sure you are careful with who you’re giving your money to. In tough times, scammers often look for ways to take advantage of the generosity of humanity. This practice is called disaster fraud.

Disaster fraud comes in many forms, such as fake charities or GoFundMe pages.

WINK News Safety and Security Specialist Rich Kolko says there are ways to protect yourself and your money. “Go ahead and check some of the appropriate web addresses. You want to be careful if you get an unsolicited email or phone call or spam email saying to send money,” Kolko said. “Some of the things you see on social media if it’s not from an organization you know, you have to be wary.”

Kolko also recommends checking the validity of the charity you plan on donating to with the Federal Trade Commission. When you donate, he says, to use a credit card instead of cash. That way, you can track where your money is going and where it ends up.

If you would like to donate to the tornado victims in western Kentucky, you can do so by following this link.