BBB Advises Caution with Wildfire Donations

Many Americans want to help the thousands of Southern Californians displaced by the wildfires, and the most common way people across the country can do this is by making donations to the many relief agencies and charities already at work.

However, as with every natural disaster, there are some unscrupulous people who will attempt to take advantage of the public’s eagerness to help victims and the BBB Wise Giving Alliance offers the following advice for donors to ensure their donations go to trustworthy relief efforts.

“In the face of any disaster, Americans will immediately step forward with donations to aid the victims and their families,” said Art Taylor, CEO of the BBB Wise Giving Alliance.

“Unfortunately, as we saw after Hurricane Katrina, scammers will try to take advantage of the generosity of the public; that’s why it’s important to take your time and do your research before donating to a charity relief effort.”

The BBB Wise Giving Alliance offers the following advice to make sure your donations go to worthy charities and relief efforts:

• Before making a contribution, go to www.give.org to obtain detailed evaluative reports on many of the relief organizations providing assistance.


• Be wary of charities that are reluctant to answer reasonable questions about their operations, finances and programs.


• Do not hesitate to ask for written information that describes the charity’s program(s) and finances such as the charity’s latest annual report and financial statements.


• Find out what the charity intends to do with any excess contributions remaining after they have fully funded the disaster relief activities mentioned in solicitations.


• Do not give cash. Checks or money orders should be made out to the name of the charitable organization, not to the individual collecting the donation.


• Keep an eye out for fake charities that imitate the name and style of well-known organizations in order to confuse people and potentially steal personal information such as credit card numbers.


• Don’t give in to excessive pressure for on-the-spot donations. Be wary of any request to send a “runner” to pick up your contribution.


• Think twice about donating to any charity that is inexperienced in carrying out relief efforts but is suddenly soliciting for aid for Southern California. Although well intentioned, such organizations may not have the ability to quickly deliver aid to those in need.


• Be wary of appeals that are long on emotion, but short on describing what the charity will do to address the needs of victims and their families.


• Do not give your credit card number or other personal information to a telephone solicitor or in response to an e-mail solicitation.


• To help ensure your contribution is tax deductible, donations should be made to charitable organizations that are tax exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Go to IRS Publication 78 on www.irs.gov for a current list of all organizations eligible to receive contributions deductible as charitable gifts.

For more information on the BBB Wise Giving Alliance and to view more than one thousand BBB Wise Giving ReportsTM on charities across the nation go to http://www.give.org./

BBB: Carefully Consider Online Degree Programs

Online degree programs are an option in an emerging trend for those interested in adding credentials and qualifications to their resumes. In 2006 more than three million students were enrolled in at least one online course. It is estimated that in 2008 one in 10 college students will be enrolled in an online university.

Although an online education can be convenient and popular, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) of Mississippi warns that some can also be a source of fraud and frustration.

“What used to be a small-time ‘mom-and-pop’ fraud is now a professional criminal operation,” says Bill Moak, President/CEO of the BBB Mississippi . “There are now more than 400 diploma mills and 300 counterfeit diploma web sites doing business of more than $500 million annually. Many of these fraudulent web sites portray beautiful, picturesque campuses with many students when, in reality, the degree diplomas are possibly printed in someone’s basement.”

The BBB reminds prospective online students to watch for the following signs that the could actually be dealing with a diploma mill:

• Little or no work is required to be completed in order to receive a degree.


• Special pricing is offered to those receiving more than one degree at a time (such as combined bachelor’s and master’s degrees).


• The name of the degree program is very similar to the name of a well-known, prestigious college or university.


• Administration building addresses include P.O. boxes or suites.


• Pricing is stated per degree instead of per credit hour.

The most important step in choosing an online degree program is to make sure that the college or university is accredited by one of the six regional accreditation boards. The
U S Dept. of Education maintains a data base of accredited post-secondary schools at www.ope.ed.gov/accreditation.