#me: ....anyways....

[brehaaorgana]

i saw your post about the scammers trying to use current events to scam on tumblr, do you think you’d be able to break down what makes one a scam vs. a real request? i think thats smth not a lot of people know how to look for (esp when scams like the current one bank on you reacting with emotion or try to press some kind of fear of urgency onto you)

People are going to really hate this answer, but: the absolute safest way to avoid charity scams is to never give money to individual people you do not personally know and have not explicitly personally verified need those funds. The safest way to donate funds to a legitimate cause is to donate to verifiable charities who you have researched.

This is the old standard advice — and it was given loonnnggg before the current iteration of the conflict in Gaza. You cannot accidentally fall for a scam if you don't donate money to people you simply don't know.

"But what if they're real?"

They could be! Are you willing to lose that money to a scammer, and possibly put more of your finances and internet security at risk — when you could instead donate to a registered non-profit/NGO that you have researched their track record, and who can make the money go a LOT farther?

"sure, I'm willing to risk that money! This is important!"

Alright, so:

Do you trust the beneficiary middle man? PayPal, GoFundMe, etc do not allow for withdrawals in many countries. So if these servicers don't actually allow people to withdraw in their home country, do you trust a third party to make sure the money gets to these people? Are they trustworthy?

Even if they are trustworthy, do you know what currency is being sent or used? Is there a possibility of currency exchange rates and fees impacting how far your donation actually goes? Donating to an organized NGO/charity often helps relieve this issue! For Palestine specifically, keep in mind that they don't have their own unique national currency. So is this going to stay as USD? Israeli Shekels? Egyptian Pounds? Something else? (This article mentions how one fundraiser recipient only received less than 70% of the total raised due to GFM fees, and currency exchange fee inflation)

What, exactly, is the money actually going to be able to buy? Is it a bribe for another government extorting refugees? Is that bribe guaranteed to actually work? Or might they still be turned away AND lose all that money? Is it risking perpetuating crisis-inflation on the ground? What happens if there is nothing to buy?

The funds may have to be wired or money transferred eventually to the recipient. Does the infrastructure support these large wire transfers? What happens if a bank - at any point - freezes the wire, and seizes the funds for suspicious or possible criminal activity? They can do that, by the way, and in the US the bank doesn't have to give that money back. They could just cancel the wire, but retrying the same wire with slightly different info after the bank cancels for suspicious activity is not acceptable on the US side of things. For other conflicts, by the way, there are absolutely sanctions that would prevent wire transfers from the US from happening. And then, can cash even be withdrawn? Are local banks secure?

If it's not being wired to the recipient, how is the money getting to the recipient? If it's being used to pay for refugee extortion (which was absolutely what the Egyptian government was doing - extorting refugees) that's one thing. But if it's going to the recipient directly, how does it get there? Is someone delivering it personally? Crossing a border? Mail? Is there a reliable means to actually physically move currency to this location? How? Where? Does the fundraiser explain this at all?

What transparency and accountability are they offering at the end of a fundraiser?

These are the most basic things you have to know — how will this money actually make it to the right place and be useful? What will it be used for? If there's a blockade, then what? What happens to the money in the meantime? What if it's seized by opposing groups/governments/forces? What is the actual likelihood your money makes it to the right place without a reliable and known NGO/Non-profit with on the ground infrastructure helping? Do they have experience navigating the bureaucracy involved? What happens if it's stuck in limbo?

If you have thought through ALL of these things and still donate, that is an EDUCATED decision you are making!

There is a very good reason to prefer donating to existing, reputable charity organizations for your own financial safety and to ensure your money does what you want it to do!

These links detail how to avoid fraudulent charity orgs, how to research charities, and what charity/donation scam red flags to look out for:

Federal Trade Commission: How to Avoid a Scam

FTC: How to recognize and avoid phishing scams

FTC: Before Giving to a Charity

IRS: Beware of Fake Charities, Check Before Donating

Charity Navigator: Avoiding Charity Scams

FBI: Charity & Disaster Fraud

03.19.2024 FBI & IRS urge warning on illegal charities, donation scams.

PayPal Newsroom: Spot and Avoid Charity Scams

TN attorney general: Charity Scams (this is just one random state example)

FCC: Scam Charities will take your money and run

American Bankers Association: Charity Scams. NOTE this one literally says: "don't let anyone — Pressure you, call you selfish, or make you feel guilty about deciding whether to donate. "

GoFundMe: Recognizing online fraud schemes

Forbes: Israel-Gaza War Has Triggered More Charity Scams: Here’s 4 Ways To Avoid Getting Swindled

FTC: Safely donating in response to the Israel-Gaza crisis

Btw back on Nov 1st, 2023, Yahoo News UK reported: Scam warning: Gaza crisis appeals used to trick victims

Experts have uncovered $1.6m of fraudulent payments linked to the Israel-Gaza conflict as part of a rise in cryptocurrency scams.

Things that are red flags for scams/charity fraud per literally every US federal and financial professional resource:

Language used to create stress, fear, or shame if you do not donate

Language used to create urgency, or a pressing time limit — making you panic and less likely to calmly research

Requests for wire transfers, cryptocurrency, gift cards

Unsolicited requests for money, especially via text, messaging platforms/apps, email, or social media

Requests for money that have generic greetings or vague, non-identifying language. A lack of personalization in the address

Threats, name calling/verbal attacks, or repeated messages if not responded to quickly or at all

Lack of detailed information about how the money will be obtained and received, and how it will be used (for what purpose)

Requesting your personal information for any reason

Sending unprompted web links

[just-french-me-up]

'ao3 needs a like and dislike button'

what you need, my algorithm-rotten minded friend, is a grip

[lrndvs]

compliments from girls go hard

[bitchfitch]

writing advice for characters with a missing eye: dear God does losing an eyes function fuck up your neck. Ever since mine crapped out I've been slowly and unconsciously shifting towards holding my head at an angle to put the good eye closer to the center. and human necks. are not meant to accommodate that sorta thing.

[orpheuslament]

friendships end. relationships end. fictional man whos doing even worse than you is forever

[pkaykim]

Valentines gift for my girlfriend

Please don’t repost on other platforms!

[daftpatience]

slow down for your disabled friends. thats like a bare minimum kindness that we shouldnt have to ask for. i love that youre so quirky and walking fast is a cool personality trait to you and all that but i bet you can count your physically disabled friends on less than one hand

[macdenlover]

it came to my realization that 99% of my fandom related headaches would be cured if everyone understood this

[yardsards]

everything in this life is temporary. except that fandom hyperfixation from when you were 14. that thang will be with you forever there's no escaping.

[mysillycomics]

[kenapiece-main]

Can you believe I'm having to make this meme even after successfully finishing up taxes and applying to job

[tawnysoup]

Found my fav Slay the Princess route recently. Dragon my beloved. Your horrifying beak mouth was an impossible-to-refuse lip syncing challenge 💖

Shoutouts to @blacktabbygames for making such a cool game!

[saddest-girl-in-the-whole-world]

I will NEVER not fuck with women using a traditionally masculine title. Tell me more about that girl that's also a prince.

[rioblitzle]

working retail

[chongoblog]

WAIT

I JUST REMEMBERED HEARING AN ELON MUSK QUOTE WHERE HE TALKS ABOUT HOW HE BELIEVES CHESS IS "TOO SIMPLE" OR WHATEVER AND HE SAID HIS FAVORITE GAME WAS A GAME CALLED "POLYTOPIA"

I JUST REMEMBERED THAT IVE PLAYED POLYTOPIA

It being Elon's favorite game (or at least one so important to him that his biographer dedicates a lot of time to it) is.....really really funny.

Basically, imagine Civilization, but as a mobile game. So like if Civilization Revolution was even more dumbed down (that's a Civilization insult. That's devastating. It's devastated right now). For what it's worth, it's not a bad game. On the contrary, from what I could tell in the little bit of time I played it, it's a perfectly competent game with good design. But it's not a deep game by any means. I played through it once, won easily on my first go, then saw that the other playable characters had barely any differences between them.

Like, not to imply you can judge a book by its cover, but here's what it looks like

I came across an article by Dave Karpf discussing this exact thing, and I think it describes it wonderfully

[lara-cairncross]

this man has never met an alien he couldn’t parent