On the easy-to-use website, people can do a search by organization name or they can do a search of every charity licensed in West Virginia and find out the amount of money donated to that charity in the last fiscal year. Tennant urged people who are considering donating money or supplies to a charity to keep several points in mind when making a decision. Some easy ways to spot a possibly fraudulent charity are:

- Bills or invoices sent to you even though you never pledged money to the organization.

- Evasive, vague, or unresponsive answers to specific questions about the charity and how the money is used.

- Words making up a charity’s name that closely resemble a more well-known charity.

- Allowing you no time to reconsider your pledge.

- Refusal to answer questions about where your money will go or refusal to send information about the charity.

- Emotional appeals that make you feel guilty about not donating.

Tennant is also warning generous people about charities that solicit donations over the phone:

- Get the exact name of the charity and the fundraiser that is calling for the charity.

- Ask if the caller is being paid by the charity.

- Ask if the charity and the fundraiser are registered with the Secretary of State’s office. Call the Business and Licensing Division at (304) 558-8000 to verify the answer.

- Find out where and how your donation will be used and what percentage goes directly to carry out the charitable purpose described by the solicitor.

- Ask if the contribution will be tax deductible.

“I’m so proud of the people who donate money and the people who work tirelessly to run a legitimate charity,” Tennant said. “West Virginians can always be counted on to donate what they can when a disaster strikes. Sadly, there are also people who want to take advantage of that generosity. My office is dedicated to protecting West Virginians from those fraudulent charities. And hopefully people will utilize the Secretary of State’s website to know as much as possible about a charity before they donate.”

To report a possible scam, people can download a complaint form in the Charities Section on the Secretary of State’s website.