Oregon charity regulators have joined the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the National Association of State Charities Officials (NASCO) for the first International Charity Fraud Awareness Week.

Awareness about charity scams helps ensure that donors’ hard-earned money goes to the worthy causes they seek to support.

Here are a few things you can do:

Make Your Donations Count

This video provides tips to help you donate wisely and avoid charity scams. It emphasizes the importance of researching charities before giving to make sure make sure your donation is going to help the cause and the people you care about.

• Follow us at Facebook.com/FederalTradeCommission and on Twitter at #CharityFraudOut to get tips about donating wisely and avoiding charity scams.

Here are a few tips to avoid donating to a sham charity:

• Look up the organization online and read what others are saying about it. Search the charity’s name with the terms “scam” or “complaint.”
• Check out the charity’s ratings with groups like the Wise Giving Alliance, Charity Navigator, Charity Watch and Guide Star. Find out how at FTC.gov/Charity.

•    Verify that the organization is registered with your state charity regulator. Most states require charities or their fundraisers to register before they can ask for donations.