Warnings on scams when donating to Charlottesville victims

The attorney general's office wants people to know the dangers

ROANOKE, Va. – People all over the country are reaching out to victims of the car attack and clashes between protesters Saturday in Charlottesville. Unfortunately, some people try to take advantage of tragedies.

With the many online donation pages that surface after events like those in Charlottesville Saturday, scammers can take the opportunity to set up fake pages and fake charities.

Despite that, online pages for donations for victims in Charlottesville are seeing a lot of success so far. A page for the family of Heather Heyer, the woman who died in the car attack, raised $224,975. A man who white supremacists beat up in a garage has received more than $120,000.

Debbie Bell, who handles southwest Virginia community outreach with the attorney general’s office, watches for scams.

“There are so many scam artists that come out as a result of this that prey on people and they want to take advantage of that compassion and that need to help,” Bell said.

She says people need to do their research and take a hard look at each person or group.

“Just because it’s easy and just because it’s there doesn’t mean it’s valid or correct,” she said of online donation pages.

These scammers play off our emotions.

“When times of tragedy like this occur within our community, we really want to help. We really want to give and we don’t often know how,” Bell said.

Attorney General Mark Herring is telling people to be careful when donating. He says people can make a compelling case for accepting money.

Here are some of his tips:

  • Be cautious if you don’t initiate contact with a charity.
  • Avoid cash donations.
  • Look for endorsement or any verification.
  • Beware of copycat names of charities.

Herring said more in a statement Tuesday:

"Virginians are big-hearted people who want to help their fellow citizens, but we have to be cautious and smart about it because the sad truth is there are pathetic people out there who will try to exploit a tragedy like this to line their own pockets,” he said.

Fortunately, GoFundMe guidelines say the money will go directly to the person or cause named, not to the person who started the page.

A GoFundMe spokesperson told media outlets that the website has taken down a page supporting the man accused of killing the 32-year-old woman in the car attack Saturday in Charlottesville.