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Street Smartsby will dehoo, dcu show me representative What Would You Do with This Phone Call? You answer the phone, and there's a nice lady on the other end. She says she works for Greenpeace and asks if you would like to make a donation to save the whales that are being killed in the Norwegian Sea. Of course you'll help them fight those animal abusers! You decide to donate $100 to the good cause – your savings for four months. 
But hold on: How do you know if your money
ends up at the right place? If you're really
dealing with an organization like Greenpeace,
you're dealing with legit people. But, did you
know that some unsolicited phone calls can
have some risky details behind them?Some charities outsource their fundraising and allow these companies to take a percentage for doing so. Great idea, but unfortunately these solicitors don't always play by the rules. For instance, some of these companies that call you will not tell you that only 15% of your money actually goes to the charity. The other 85% ends up right in their pockets! So what should you do? Ask the solicitor what percentage of your donation ends up helping the actual charity. By law these companies have to tell you how much they take. Of course disreputable companies won't exactly tell you the truth, so play it simple. Big tip: Don't donate on the phone. Ask the company to send you material about their group. Tell them you'll mail your donation, if you like what they send you. Verify a charity's address by looking up its web site and making sure it's legitimate. You may be able to donate funds securely online. And here's another heads up: Many times, if you give to the disreputable callers, they sell your contact name and information to other disreputable groups. Want to read about other scams like these? Head to our web site! Go to dcu.org and select Show Me. Good luck. Cheers, Will |
 Have you had a good experience with DCU that you want to share with others? Send us an email at dcu@dcu.org or mail it to: DCU, PO Box 9130, Marlborough, MA 01752-9130, Attn: Marketing Dept. |
Visit Show Me and FoolProof Solo online for more money management advice and ideas. Visit dcu.org and select "StreetWise" then "Show Me." Images may be from one or more of these sources: ©Jupiterimages, ©Getty Images, ©iStock, ©PhotoSpin. © 2008 Digital Federal Credit Union. Digital Federal Credit Union |
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