In the wake of several national and international natural disasters, the IRS issued a warning to consumers on bogus charity scams. These criminals often pose as a real charity to prey on the good intentions of donors in order to steal money and/or personal information.
The IRS offers the following tips to taxpayers who wish to donate:
For more information, visit http://www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/Dont-Fall-for-Charity-Scams-Following-Disasters.
Further, Exempt Organizations Select Check is an online search tool that allows users to search for and select an exempt organization and check certain information about its federal tax status and filings. To use this tool, visit EO Select Check on the IRS website: http://www.irs.gov/Charities-&-Non-Profits/Exempt-Organizations-Select-Check.