Requests for charity donations are so common nowadays that they could happen anywhere.This is a truly horrible scam.

The scammers come with collection boxes, especially in pubs (where they take advantage of people being tipsy), or even move door to door, selling their emotional stories. It is reported that some scammers even leave bags at people’s doors, with a flyer advertising the charity, using either a tragedy that happened in your city or a worldwide calamity (Japanese Tsunami, Chilean earthquake, Katrina, etc).

How to avoid: you have a good heart and like to help those in need, but what you really need to do is research these organizations first. All genuine charity organizations have to be registered and will have an online presence; if they are small and claim they don’t have a website, always ask them for identification and their registration number. If you donate money, you have the right to know exactly where is going. And, really, it’s better to give, not to individuals with a collecting box, but online directly to the charity.