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Texting Charitable Contributions to Haiti Overwhelms Telecoms

WSJ: “In a texting donation, a person types a so-called short-code such as 90999 and then types in “HAITI” to donate a preset amount of $10. The cellphone user then gets a text back asking that they confirm the donation. After a confirmation, the person receives a text saying, “Thanks! $10 charged to your phone bill for Red Cross Int’l Relief.” But no money moves until a person pays their cellphone bill to cover the pledge. The money then is routed through a carrier that aggregates the donations before dispatching them to one of the foundations. Those then move the money to agencies such as the Red Cross. Meantime, officials warned that hundreds of charities that may not be equipped to help often try to raise money and others are simply fraudulent scams. The Federal Bureau of Investigation warned Americans to ignore unsolicited emails and to be skeptical of individuals representing themselves as surviving victims.”

  • See also Haiti Earthquake: FTC Warns Consumers to Give Wisely
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