CLEVELAND — Robert Thompson of Cleveland has donated to the Greater Cleveland Food Bank multiple times, so when he was inundated by text messages from a food bank impostor, he wasn't fooled into giving out any money or information.
Thompson told News 5 the text messages included a phone number to call and a web link asking him to make a contribution to the "greater food bank," a named that was similar but not accurate. Thompson said he quickly became suspicious and quickly reported the impostor to the Cleveland Better Business Bureau.
“They kept texting me these messages saying send them money to the Greater Cleveland Food Bank, and I just thought immediately the Greater Cleveland Food Bank doesn’t text anybody and ask for money personally,” Thompson said. "It's very bad because there’s people out there causing problems, and once they got you, they got you, it just don’t make no sense; I feel bad about it."
Ericka Dilworth, Cleveland Better Business Bureau Director of Operations, told News 5 that the latest BBB Donor Trust Report indicates growing charity scams have eroded consumer trust, especially when it comes to religious organizations. Dilworth said consumers need to avoid making a quick decision and run background checks on the organization when faced with an unsolicited charity offer.
“Impostors know that folks are generous this time of year and they’re looking to take advantage of that," Dilworth said. "If you get a call, if you get and text, if you get an email, take a step back, don’t make an immediate decision on where you want to give your money.”
Dilworth said it is crucial consumers report suspicious charitable donation offers, and look for the warning signs.
“It’s very hard to determine a legitimate email versus a scam email, even for me it’s hard to tell, so we do not recommend that you click on a link," Dilworth said. “Charities are required the be registered with the Ohio Attorney General’s office, that is a good place to start. You can look at Give.org and that is a place where charities have been evaluated based on our 20 standards."
Dilworth told News 5 that consumers should make holiday donations with their credit cards when possible to take advantage of the card's fraud protection if something should go wrong.
"If somebody is asking you to pay cash, certainly if somebody is asking you to pay in gift card or wire money, something that’s out of the ordinary, those are all red flags," Dilworth said. “If I get a call and looks like someplace that I might want to give my money I ask them to send me something in the mail, and if they’re willing to do that I’m going to take a look at it when it comes in the mail. If they are not willing to that, that’s another red flag.”
The Greater Cleveland Food Bank told News 5 it was aware of the impostor text-to-give scam and said the food bank does not use texting as an option for donations. It said the primary way to reach potential donors is via direct mail or email.
It said its donation page has the food bank logo and branding as well as the lock in the website address bar showing it is a secure donation site. If people prefer to call in their donation, you can do so by calling 216-535-2051 and a staff person can assist you or make a donation directly to its website.
