Want to support Ukraine? Be sure not to fall for these donation scams, officials say

The Better Business Bureau is warning Americans concerned about Russia’s attacks on Ukraine to be wary of falling for donation scams.

Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine on three fronts early Thursday, Feb. 24, “bombarding cities, towns and villages” as forces advanced toward the capital of Kyiv.

The city of Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine has been surrounded, and Russian forces are hitting Kyiv with rockets as hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians flee to the west. Other nations around the world, including the United States, have enacted strict sanctions on Russia.

The attacks have drawn the eyes of the world, and images and videos of Ukrainians fleeing the country or pleading for peace have left people all over the U.S. wondering what they can do to help.

But “bad actors often try to take advantage of people’s goodwill,” Lisa Frohnapfel, president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau Serving Western Michigan, said in a statement, according to M Live.

The BBB Wise Giving Alliance offers several tips on its website on how donors can tell a legitimate aid effort from a scam.

First, the bureau recommends that donors look into whether a charity already has a presence in Ukraine — if it doesn’t, it may not be well-equipped to provide aid quickly.

Donors should also ask themselves what they should be giving. It may not be wise for Americans to try and send food or clothing to Ukraine on their own, the organization says.

Instead, they should aim to support aid organizations that can obtain whatever supplies are needed and distribute them through their established networks. This cuts down on logistical challenges, avoids duplication of effort and helps ensure that aid reaches the people who need it, the website says.

Americans should also do research on whether the organizations they’d like to support have a track record of helping people in Ukraine.

“Experienced disaster relief charities are the best bet to help deliver aid as soon as possible,” the BBB said on its website. “New entrants may have difficulty in following through even if they have the best of intentions.”

The BBB also cautions donors to keep an eye out for organizations making lofty claims, including that 100% of all donations will go directly to people in need.

“Charities have fundraising and administrative expenses,” the organization said on its website. “Any charity claiming otherwise is potentially misleading the donating public. Even a credit card donation will have a processing fee.”

If people are considering donating to crowdfunding campaigns, they should check the platform’s policies and make sure they’re donating to trustworthy people or causes, the BBB said on its website.

“Keep in mind that some crowdfunding sites do very little vetting of individuals or organizations that decide to post for relief assistance,” the BBB said. “Sites that take security measures will usually provide descriptions of these procedures.”

Finally, donors should check whether the organization they’d like to support meets BBB Charity Standards. The BBB has compiled a list of charities that are collecting aid for Ukraine and meet the organization’s standards for charity accountability, which depend on numerous factors, including how effective a charity is, what level of oversight it has and whether there have been complaints against the organization.

Other tips not from the BBB’s list include being wary of social media posts, emails or text messages with unfamiliar links in them; doing research on charities that seem as if they only popped up since the attacks began on Feb. 24; and avoiding high-pressure pitches and requests to send money, Fox 6 reported.

“You want to make sure your donation is used as intended, so it is important to take some time and make sure the charity you are working with can deliver on their promises and support,” Frohnapfel said, according to M Live.

This story was originally published March 1, 2022 at 3:22 PM with the headline "Want to support Ukraine? Be sure not to fall for these donation scams, officials say."