BBB Warns Public of Charity Scams Following Hurricane Milton

 

In the wake of Hurricane Milton, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) is alerting the public to the rising threat of charity scams that exploit people's goodwill and generosity. Leah Napoliello, Vice President of the BBB, highlighted the unfortunate trend of fraudulent charities that emerge after natural disasters.

Napoliello stated, "After these types of hurricanes, we unfortunately see a lot of charity scams occurring. First, there are fake charities that aren't legitimate nonprofit organizations at all. They reach out to individuals through phone calls, emails, texts, or social media, asking for donations. Instead of supporting a good cause, they are attempting to scam you or obtain your personal information."

She also warned that scammers frequently impersonate well-known charities by making slight alterations to legitimate web addresses, which can easily mislead potential donors. "They may take a reputable charity that everyone knows and change the web address just enough to fool people," she added.

The BBB urges individuals to remain vigilant and conduct thorough research before donating to any charity, especially in the aftermath of natural disasters like Hurricane Milton.