Whether a crowdfunding campaign seems shady or not, you still need to take a critical look at any project you’re looking to donate to. This way you don’t get caught up in a crowdfunding scam.
Here are some guidelines to follow:
- Do some research on the creator of the campaign.
- Do they appear in other scams?
- Are they claiming to do something that seems too difficult as a solo project?
- Is this something outside of their area of expertise?
- If you find anything that raises a red flag, it’s a good sign you should steer clear of that campaign. Trust your gut. If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.
- Ask yourself if the project seems realistic.
- A campaign with the goal of fighting the Taliban probably sounds unrealistic. Not only is the idea crazy—it’s also completely unrealistic. Don’t bother with these types of crowdfunding campaigns.
- Don’t get emotional.
- Make sure you can verify the truth of the claimed need.
- Scammers are more than willing to fake illnesses and accidents to prey on kindhearted donors.
- Again, do the research.
There’s nothing wrong with starting a crowdfunding campaign or donating to one and many of these campaigns are perfectly honest. There are many few greedy scammers out there that have ruined it for everyone else.
Do your research and make sure you’re comfortable before clicking “send” on your donation. You don’t want to fall for the crowdfunding scam.
You’ve heard the sayings “buyer beware?” and “if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is”. These hold true for crowdfunding campaigns as well!
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