As the Syrian refugee crisis continues to grow, the Better Business Bureau’s (BBB) Wise Giving Alliance (BBB WGA) warns donors to be cautious when making donations to assist refugees in need. H. Art Taylor, president and CEO of BBB WGA says “Tragedies generate public sympathy but unfortunately also attract scam fund raising efforts.” He says they remind contributors “To be on the lookout for questionable solicitors and recommend that they focus giving efforts on charities that already have a presence in the impacted areas.”

When donating to assist in the Syrian refugee crisis, keep the following tips in mind to avoid scams….

Be cautious when giving online. Be cautious about online giving, especially in response to spam messages and emails that claim to link to a relief organization. Instead, go directly to the charity’s web site.

Rely on expert opinion when it comes to evaluating a charity. Be cautious when relying on third-party recommendations from bloggers or other web sites. The public can go to Give.org to verify if a charity meets the 20 BBB Standards for Charity Accountability.

Be wary of claims that 100 percent of donations will assist relief victims.
Despite what an organization might claim, charities have fund raising and administrative costs.

Find out if the charity has an on-the-ground presence in the impacted areas. Unless the charity already has staff in the affected areas, it may be difficult to bring in new aid workers to provide assistance quickly.

Determine if the charity is providing direct aid or raising money for other groups. Some charities may be raising money to pass along to relief organizations. If so, you may want to consider “avoiding the middleman” and giving directly to those that have a presence in the region.

The following organizations are collecting funds for Syrian refugee relief and meet all of the BBB Charity Standards: CARE USA; Catholic Relief Services; Church World Service; Concern Worldwide US; GlobalGiving; Helping Hand for Relief and Development; International Medical Corps; International Rescue Committee; Islamic Relief USA; Lutheran World Relief; Medical Teams International; Mennonite Central Committee; Mercy Corps; Oxfam America; Plan International USA; Save the Children; United States Fund for UNICEF; World Food Program USA; World Relief, and World Vision.