“As consumers, we want to donate. We want to give help. We want to help people in need,” said the BBB’s Bryan Oglesby, “And scammers will take advantage of that.”
TAMPA, Fla. — It’s hard to watch what’s happening in Ukraine and not want to do something to help.
But now there’s a warning from the Better Business Bureau (BBB) that you need to hear before you click on a link or donate your hard-earned dollars.
Many people become emotional watching images coming out of Ukraine. Unfortunately, scam artists know it, prompting the BBB warning.
“As consumers, we want to donate. We want to give help. We want to help people in need,” said the BBB’s Bryan Oglesby, “And scammers will take advantage of that.”
The BBB, predicting a scam surge, has already noticed an uptick both online and on social media platforms like TikTok. People can be tearfully seen appealing for help, with no way of knowing whether they’re legitimate.
“You really don’t know if that individual is telling the truth or not. So, the advice on crowdfunding sites is you should only give to people on crowdfunding sites that you know and trust,” said Oglesby.
In addition to scams that play on our…