Anyone concerned about the charitable status of an oganization should know that they can report their concerns to the Internal Revenue Service and other agencies of the US government.
Spend a bit of time and collect as much information as you can concerning the location of the "charity" and the names of as many officers of the charity as you can collect. Be sure to include the names and aliases of any former officers of the "charity" also.
• Keep careful records of all your donations so you can identify fraudulent scams that claim you made a pledge you don’t remember making.
• Ask for the charity’s tax-exempt letter indicating its IRS status. You can’t claim a tax-deductible donation if the charity does not have one.
• Never give cash. Make your contribution in the form of a check payable to the full name of the charity.
• Give out your credit card number only if you are certain that you are dealing with a legitimate charity; then make sure that the numbers will be encrypted.
• Don’t give out your Social Security number. A charity does not need it in order for you to claim a tax deduction.
How To Report Charity Fraud
It is a federal felony for anyone to engage in mail fraud, wire fraud, or credit-card fraud. Charity-related fraud should be reported to the following authorities:
• Your Local law enforcement agency
• Ypor Local postmaster if fraudulent solicitations or invoices arrive by mail
• Your State Attorney General’s office: www.naag.org
• Your State charity office: www.nasconet.org
• The Federal Trade Commission, online complaint form: www.ftc.gov
• The Internet Crime Complaint Center, online complaint form: www.ic3.gov
• The National Fraud Information Center, online complaint form: www.fraud.org
Any fraudulent tax activity that is discovered within a charity should be reported to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Reports can be made anonymously or by providing contact information.
The IRS provides rewards for tip offs on fraudulent activities.
The fact that they can be reported, holds organizations accountable for the donations they receive.