There are an increasing amount of Katrina-related donation scams out there. Please, please educate yourself before giving. If you are not already familiar with the organization to which you choose to give, a certain amount of due diligence should be done.

Check ScamBusters as a starting point. The Better Business Bureau can only be trusted so far as companies pay for their listing. FEMA offers a list of suggestions, but follow their advice at your own risk. FEMA hasn’t had a great track record so far in the wake of Katrina, as their actions seem to have hurt more than helped. Also be aware of any connection between a charity and a religious organization, as some charities make these connections difficult to discover without research.

Published or updated September 8, 2005. If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to the RSS feed or receive daily emails. Follow @flexo on Twitter and visit our Facebook page for more updates.

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About the author

Luke Landes, also known as Flexo, is the founder of Consumerism Commentary. He has been blogging and writing for the internet since 1995 and has been building online communities since 1991. Find out more about him and follow Flexo on Twitter. View all articles by Flexo.