Compassion and empathy are admirable qualities. During times of disasters and chaos, unscrupulous scammers crawl out from beneath their rocks and begin to prey on good-hearted people. The Boston Bombing is a case in point. Within minutes, a fake Twitter account was set up to solicit donations. Within a few hours several domain names were registered with key words like “Boston”, “Explosions”, and “Marathon”. Some sites are legitimate while others contain malware and viruses that wreak havoc with computers. People wishing to help need to proceed with caution before opening their wallets and following their hearts. Here are some tips for making your donations really count in a safe way .

Visit reputable sites for charity information. Try www.bbb.org  or www.CharityNavigator.org. Also call your state’s Consumer Protection Agency and ask for their input.

For online donations be sure you see HTTPS (Not HTTP) and a padlock icon on the website.

Do NOT give out credit card or bank account information over the phone. You can call the charity yourself. At least you’ll know who you are speaking with.

I am originally from Boston. If you wish to donate go to www.onefundboston.org.  Thanks!