Just recently made a donation to Community Care and then the next day I saw this article in the St. Catharines Standard. Question for anybody reading this entry – Have you ever had a situation where the donation you made was a scam or to a fake organization?
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PROTECT YOURSELF FROM FRAUD WHEN DONATING TO CHARITY – BE AN INFORMED DONOR
– Consult the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) Charities Listings at http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tax/charities/donors/menu-e.html or call 1-800-267-23874 to confirm that a charity is registered with the CRA.
– Confirm that you will receive an official donation receipt if you want to claim a tax credit.
– Beware of schemes that promise tax savings greater than your cost, thus allowing you to “profit” from donating to a registered charity.
– Write cheques payable to the charity, not an individual.
– Do not donate if there are signs of fraud, such as inappropriate pressure to give immediately or being offered a receipt for more than you actually donate.