HONOLULU — State Attorney General Anne Lopez is once again cautioning residents to be careful when making a donation to one of the many fundraising efforts that were started to help those impacted by the Maui wildfires.
In August, Lopez sent out an initial warning regarding donating to fundraisers for the Maui fires.
“We are continuing to receive reports and complaints regarding organizations that are soliciting donations for Maui fire relief efforts, but who are not actually registered charities,” said Lopez in a news release sent on Friday. “Solicitations can come from emails, websites, door-to-door collections, flyers, telephone calls, text messages, and people on the street. I continue to emphasize that everyone must remain cautious and do research before making a donation to anyone soliciting money.”
With the help of the Department of the Attorney General, several previously unregistered fundraisers are now registered — a requirement to solicit donations in Hawaii. Other fundraising campaigns have voluntarily stopped collecting donations, while others are undergoing review by the Department of the Attorney General.
“We are taking a number of steps to ensure that all charities are abiding by our legal requirements, while also reviewing complaints relating to suspicious fundraising efforts,” said Lopez.
In order to ensure a fundraiser is legitimate, Lopez recommends following these tips:
- Donate to registered charities. Look up if a charity is registered with the Department of the Attorney General on the Tax & Charities Division website.
- Donate directly to a known charity. Do not rely on others to donate on your behalf.
- Read about the fundraiser. Avoid donating to fundraisers making vague claims in their description. Most legitimate charities will provide updates on where funds are distributed.
- Check if an organization has 501(c)(3) status. Fundraisers that say a donation is tax-deductible must be listed as a 501(c)(3) entity by the IRS.
- Avoid cash donations. Pay with a credit card or write a check payable to the charity.
- Beware of copycat charities and spoofing. Look out for charities with copycat names similar to reputable charities. Also, be vigilant about fraudulent websites imitating reputable charities.
- Look out for unsolicited spam emails. Do not respond to spam emails, including clicking links or photographs, because the files may contain viruses.
- Do not donate after feeling pressured. Trustworthy charities do not use hard-sell tactics.
Michelle Broder Van Dyke covers the Hawaiian Islands for Spectrum News Hawaii. Email her at michelle.brodervandyke@charter.com.
