MIDDLEBURG HEIGHTS, Ohio — As Northeast Ohio rallies to support those impacted by the recent hurricanes down south, the Department of Commerce and the attorney general remind everyone to research before donating to a charity.
At the Cleveland Home Outlet, customers are usually shopping for their house.
“We sell a lot of furniture, home goods, mattresses, and we just added flooring this year,” said owner Ami Ameduri.
But, in the past two weeks, customers have been dropping them off instead of taking them home.
“What we're doing is we're collecting essential items, nonperishable foods, hygienic products, baby stuff,” said Ameduri.
After seeing the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene, Ameduri decided to start a donation drop-off at her store.
“I reached out to Samaritan’s Purse, Salvation Army Rescue and Red Cross, and we're doing what we can to help these people,” said Ameduri.
Ameduri posted about it on Facebook, and before she knew it, the items started to pile up; they already have enough to fill two pallets.
Ameduri isn't the only one making donations for hurricane relief. Ericka Dilworth with the Better Business Bureau says that during natural disasters, it's common for people to want to assist, but they should make sure they know where their funds are going because scammers are working extra hard.
“Scammers, they are good at what they do, and they know what's in the news and what people's minds are focused on,” said Dilworth.
But so far, the Ohio Attorney General's Office has only gotten one complaint about a suspicious charity. To protect yourself, Ericka and the Ohio Department of Commerce recommend the following:
- Ask questions
- Make sure it is a verified charity; you can check through Give.org
- Use a credit card when sending money
- Be cautious with crowdfunding sites
- Verify any text messages or calls
“Any kind of an unsolicited reach out is not always problematic, but it should make you pause and not act right away,” said Dilworth.
After researching, Ameduri decided she'd donate to Salvation Army Rescue once all the donations are in.
“I mean, we're the United States. We're supposed to be united in a time that feels so divided like let's come together,” said Ameduri.
If you have goods to drop off, they'll be collecting until Friday, but keep your eye out for a social media post because, depending on what happens with Hurricane Milton, Ameduri says they may be doing another collection.
Dave Yost, the Ohio Attorney General, also released guidance when asked to give money to an unfamiliar charity.
Here are some of the warning signs that a donation request might be fraudulent:
- The charity's name is similar to a well-known, nationally recognized charity
- High-pressure tactics are used to request immediate donations
- The caller is hesitant or unable to answer questions about the charity or how the donation will be used
- The individual or entity does not provide a real callback phone number
- The caller offers to pick up donations immediately instead of waiting to receive them in the mail
- Prizes, cash rewards or sweepstakes entries are offered in return for a donation
- The individual or entity requests checks to be made payable to a person instead of the charity
- The caller requests bank or credit card information, and you didn’t expect the call
