BOCA RATON, Fla. — Attorney General Ashley Moody sent out a warning to consumers Tuesday with some tips on how to avoid falling victim to online scams on GivingTuesday.
If you walk through the halls of the Tri-County Animal Rescue in Boca Raton, you'll find hundreds of cute faces.
"We are definitely over capacity right now," Suzi Goldsmith, founder of the no-kill shelter and clinic, said.
Goldsmith said that's because they received dozens of new dogs and cats after Hurricane Fiona and Hurricane Ian.
So, they're hoping to get plenty of donations on GivingTuesday to help care for them.
"We always need sheets and towels and medical expenses and even food, but mostly the medical expenses for those animals," Goldsmith said.
Goldsmith told WPTV they also use some of the funds to help pet owners in the community.
"The people who might have lost their job, with inflation, can't afford to pay for an animal if they have a family of two, four, six, eight and they need to put groceries on the table for their family, we do low-cost spading, neutering, surgeries," Goldsmith said.
With all the organizations, nonprofits and charities out there, it's hard to know where your money is going when you donate.
That's why Moody released a reminder for consumers Tuesday morning.
"Here are some tips to help you avoid charity scams," Moody said. "Never provide personal or financial information to a solicitor, especially if a solicitor is acting aggressively. Be certain a charity is accredited by the BBB. Understand how donations will be used before giving and verify a charity's name, logo and email address."
Another safe way to donate online is through GivingTuesday.org. There, you can search for your charity or nonprofit and donate through the website.
You can also bring items to many charities or nonprofits if you don't want to donate cash.
"Some donations just came through the door," Goldsmith said. "We got some Pedigree for the dogs – they love wet food – and then we have some softener and detergent for all the loads of laundry. We must do 50 loads of laundry a day."
Whether it be laundry detergent, dog or cat beds, pet food or cleaning supplies, Goldsmith is hoping the donations keep pouring in.
"We hope that they will come to us and think of us, and they will come and adopt as well," Goldsmith said.
