FLORIDA (WTXL) - Floridians are being warned to be careful about where they donate money, in the aftermath of hurricane Harvey.
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services says many crooks will prey upon the good intentions of people.
Recently, crowd sourcing websites have been a target of scam artists, as it is relatively easy to make up a story and receive donations with no intention of ever giving the money to the purported cause.
AG Department spokesman Aaron Keller says while there are no verified reports of scams related to Harvey yet, it is usually best to give money to well-known charities who regularly deal with disaster relief.
"If you are motivated to give, it is often safest to go with reputable names, ones that have been around a long time, ones that you recognize. Don't just give to a viral internet campaign, or a GoFundMe, that doesn't have a lot of details," says Keller.
The agriculture and consumer services department also has an online tool to track florida charities. You can link to our website wtxl.Tv to get to it.
