False donation pitches have always been an issue whether they are calling you at home, knocking on your door or some other solicitation. Crowdfunding campaigns will certainly need to be vigilant as well as the opportunities and platforms grow for donations.
See below a quote from a Fox News regarding Hurricane Sandy -which we have covered previously:
Other Internet sites serve as an aggregate location for individuals to ask for money for themselves or their businesses.
Indiegogo, an international crowd funding site, has more than 32 pages of pleas for cash donations from Sandy victims. One woman wrote that she needed money because “We left the city and headed south towards family in Pennsylvania. We were finally let back into Salem and our home was destroyed.”
CNN checked on that one as well but there was no information to prove or disprove the woman’s posting.
Over time we are confident platforms will enhance their methodologies for these types of campaigns. There is certainly much opportunity for good here – and we should all keep this in mind.