As communities impacted by ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred begin clean-up and recovery efforts, there are warnings to remain vigilant against potential fundraising scams to ensure you’re not wasting your donation.
NSW Fair Trading has warned donors against scammers who often seek to exploit this goodwill by setting up fake fundraising pages or posing as legitimate charities.
“It’s inspiring to see the outpouring of support to ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred victims from NSW communities, but we want to ensure donations reach those in need rather than unscrupulous scammers,” Minister for Better Regulation and Fair Trading Anoulack Chanthivong, said.
“That’s why we are urging everyone, before donating, please take a moment to verify that the charity or fundraiser you intend to donate to is licensed and legitimate.
Mr Chanthivong said scammers would try to take advantage of the generosity of others following disasters, and encouraged people to be scam-aware.
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“Scammers can be very convincing, often using emotional appeals, fake social media pages, or crowdfunding platforms so please be scam-aware and contact NSW Fair Trading if you are in doubt,” he said.
People looking to make a financial contribution or to donate other goods such as food or clothing are encouraged to visit the GIVIT website (a non-profit organisation partnering with the NSW and Queensland Governments to support communities impacted by Cyclone Alfred) at www.givit.org.au/tropical-cyclone-alfred.
“Thank you to the thousands of volunteers across the NSW State Emergency Service and other emergency agencies who worked tirelessly to assist Northern Rivers and Mid North Coast communities this past week,” Minister for Emergency Services Jihad Dib said.
