Is there a way to protect the vulnerable from fundraising scams?
Well last week in class we talked about the American Cancer Society vs. the Cancer Society of America, and wouldn't you know that another scam was reported this week out in CA. The Daily Bulletin out in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., detailed the scam:
"The elderly woman, whose name was not released, was in a shopping center on Base Line Road and Archibald Avenue when she was approached by a woman in her 40s who spoke accented and broken English. The accented woman appeared upset as she asked for the victim's help raising money for African children, according to a sheriff's department statement.
As the victim spoke with the first woman, a second woman, also in her 40s, approached and asked if she could help with a donation of her own. Upon hearing about the charity drive, the second suspect offered to donate $10,000 to the cause. The first suspect then offered to drive the two other women to a bank.
The second suspect entered the bank and returned with an envelope she claimed contained $10,000. The victim then offered to donate $5,000 and asked for a ride to her bank, according to the statement.
The victim gave the $5,000 to the first suspect who appeared to put the cash in an envelope with the first donation of $10,000. The first suspect then put the cash into a piece of knotted up cloth.
The first woman asked the victim to take the money home and keep it for a few days until she could contact her.
The victim found nothing but shredded newspaper once she got home and opened up the cloth, according to the statement."
The one thing I find truly amazing here is that the San Bernardino sheriff said that this would be a very difficult crime to prosecute since the victim willingly gave the "fundraiser" cash.
So I pose two questions to you:
1) Given the lack of regulation or at least the very difficult task of regulating the nonprofit sector's (think about the IRS discussion as an example), what exactly can be done to prevent these type of scams from happening in the future?
and
2) If you were a public relations practitioner for a nonprofit agency, what could you do to distance yourself from such scams being conducted in the name of your cause?
"The elderly woman, whose name was not released, was in a shopping center on Base Line Road and Archibald Avenue when she was approached by a woman in her 40s who spoke accented and broken English. The accented woman appeared upset as she asked for the victim's help raising money for African children, according to a sheriff's department statement.
As the victim spoke with the first woman, a second woman, also in her 40s, approached and asked if she could help with a donation of her own. Upon hearing about the charity drive, the second suspect offered to donate $10,000 to the cause. The first suspect then offered to drive the two other women to a bank.
The second suspect entered the bank and returned with an envelope she claimed contained $10,000. The victim then offered to donate $5,000 and asked for a ride to her bank, according to the statement.
The victim gave the $5,000 to the first suspect who appeared to put the cash in an envelope with the first donation of $10,000. The first suspect then put the cash into a piece of knotted up cloth.
The first woman asked the victim to take the money home and keep it for a few days until she could contact her.
The victim found nothing but shredded newspaper once she got home and opened up the cloth, according to the statement."
The one thing I find truly amazing here is that the San Bernardino sheriff said that this would be a very difficult crime to prosecute since the victim willingly gave the "fundraiser" cash.
So I pose two questions to you:
1) Given the lack of regulation or at least the very difficult task of regulating the nonprofit sector's (think about the IRS discussion as an example), what exactly can be done to prevent these type of scams from happening in the future?
and
2) If you were a public relations practitioner for a nonprofit agency, what could you do to distance yourself from such scams being conducted in the name of your cause?
posted by Richard @ 3:27 PM
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