Update: 1/20/2010. As aftershocks continue to do damage in Haiti, help is still desperately needed. There's still some confusion on how to donate. Here's what you can do:
- Send a text with the word Haiti in the message. The recipient should be the five-digit number 90999. You should receive a confirmation response. Reply Yes. $10 will be added to your phone bill
- Log on to RedCross.org to make a donation online via credit or debit card (minimum $10) or find a Red Cross location near you.
Watch out for scams that ask you to send your credit card information over text message as well as web sites that prompt you to download software.
In the wake of the traumatic 7.0 earthquake that struck Haiti Tuesday evening, an outpouring of support has been heard across cyberspace. And thanks to developments in technology, donating to important and topical causes is easier than ever. But could a text of support really find you victimized by a scam?
Right now, there are two legitimate ways to donate to Haitian support and relief organizations:
- Text 'HAITI' to 90999: This service was set up by the U.S. State Department. Texting "HAITI" to the number will donate $10 to the International Red Cross, and will appear as a charge on your wireless bill.
- Text 'YELE' to 501501: This will donate $5 to Yele Haiti, a non-profit organization founded by singer and Haiti native Wyclef Jean. A donation to Yele will also appear as a charge on your cell bill. You can also donate larger amounts at Yele's website.
So far, these are the only two legitimate text-to-donate services providing support to Haiti relief, according to consumer watchdog groups. But others may be popping up to take advantage of Americans' generosity.
The Better Business Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission have issued statements warning possible donors to watch out for scams, which tend to pop up after a catastrophe.
The five-to-six digit numbers known as short-codes make it difficult to tell who is on the receiving end of a text. A legitimate charity will not ask you to send your personal information or credit card number through text message.
The devastating earthquake that struck Haiti, the western hemisphere's most impoverished nation, Tuesday hit 10 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital and largest city. Haiti's prime minister has issued a statement that hundreds of thousands may have perished in the quake.
The Bankruptcy Blog reports often on consumer affairs and identity theft issues for all consumers, in addition to bankruptcy information.
Tags: 90999, haiti, Identity Theft, scams
This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 13th, 2010 at 3:00 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Edmund Scanlan, Total Bankruptcy, Total Bankruptcy, jenna mccarthy, Joshua Schlag and others. Joshua Schlag said: Please be aware of Haiti donation scams! http://ow.ly/WbsC [...]
will this be a reacuring monthly charge on the cell bill? or just the one payment per text, i wish this would be clarified somewhere on the web.
Hey Scott, I believe that every time you text to donate, you will be charged $10 (plus any usage fees from your provider). And you can text as often as you like to donate.
I don’t believe there is a recurring charge from the Red Cross or any other legitimate organization. However, you may be put on their distribution list to receive texts in the future, but you should be able to reply ‘STOP’ to these to be removed from the list.
Hi Scott, Chris is right - ALL text donations are one-time. Recurring donations via text are currently impossible.
[...] Is Texting 'HAITI' To 90999 A Scam? | The Bankruptcy Blog Scammers are quick to exploit generosity following a catastrophe. Is texting HAITI to 90999 one of those scams? Learn how to help those in need while protecting your identity. [...]
I’m very sure this is not a scam as it’s a reputable company managing this.
I heard that when you donate $10 you are actually being charged $20. Is this true?
I hope the cell phone co. will not collect
sales taxes on the donations.
the service did not let me cancel my donation, and listed it as a $10/month bill on my telephone bill from a 3rd party. A representative from my phone service had to cancel it manually and blacklist the number.
I’d avoid.
thats not true james. its a one time charge. see link for details
http://www.mgive.com/Partners.aspx
And in the mgive terms “and you’ll receive up to 1 text per day from our advertising partners” (paraphrased).
No thanks, keep your spam to yourself. Similar to email naivety of 15-20 years ago, once your number is out there and starts to be shared, it’ll will be virtually impossible to regain control of it, leaving a number change as the only response.
Mark, after confirming your donation, you should be able to reply “STOP” to any texts to take yourself off the distribution lists.
I text to the number but now it wont stop sending me texts even though i replied stop. how do i get it to stop?
Social comments and analytics for this post…
This post was mentioned on Twitter by MarketerCalkins: RT @totalbankruptcy: Is texting ‘HAITI’ to 90999 a scam? Show your support, avoid identity theft scams: http://bit.ly/7H4egC...
Um sorry but the 90999 is a scam too.
http://blogs.computerworld.com/15414/anatomy_of_a_haiti_texting_scam
The fact you are getting messages back might mean you are being charged for each of those times. Better call your phone carrier and change your number quickly!
The people that write about scams in charity should read a little about what they are talking about. These funds are not scams, they are trying to help the people of Haiti. When we search the number to text on Google this stupid page comes up so people dont know if they should donate. HELP THESE PEOPLE AND IF TEXTING IS THE SAFEST WAY FOR YOU TO DO IT THAN HELP!! It isnt going to charge you monthly, it is going to charge you once. These are not scams just stupid writers like this are just a debt to the American and World community.
Hey Tom, as the article points out, texting HAITI to 90999 is not a scam. However, there are several ways that scammers are taking advantage of the situation, including similar texting schemes as well as online ones. This article was written to inform potential donors that there is no harm in donating via this method. Thanks for your feedback.
Hey NH, the article you referenced is talking about web sites pretending to offer information that compel visitors to install spyware. Texting HAITI to 90999 is definitely not a scam, and has resulted in millions of dollars being donated to the Red Cross.
A friend sent a text to HAITI90999 instead of putting Haiti in the text body. She received a message saying ‘thank you for contacting NCA. you will be notified if you win.’
Does she need to change her number?
i just texted HAITI TO 90999. It asked me to confirm by texting back YES. Once i did that it texted me “reply YES to receive the latest Red Cross news” also I could text STOP to end msgs. i txted STOP and received confirmation that I would receive no further texts or charges other than the one time $10 donation. Total time: 2 minutes.. Easy.. If you feel worried about it then just log on to the Red Cross page and make a donation there.
Texting Haiti to 90999 is not a scam. See this story explaining how it works, who is behind it, and how you can get around an error codes when trying to donate.
http://www.consumerwarningnetwork.com/2010/01/20/how-to-help-in-haiti-and-not-get-scammed/
ever since I texted and donated, I’m getting texts from solicitors like never before…anyone else ???
Is someone selling our cell phone numbers ????
I texted to 90999 and I haven’t gotten a text back asking? it’s been an hour.
For those of you receiving text solicitations after donating or having trouble donating, this article should help explain it:
http://www.consumerwarningnetwork.com/2010/01/20/how-to-help-in-haiti-and-not-get-scammed/
It’s not a scam. I work for a non-profit and we accept donations via text. For those getting the wrong message, you are sending the text incorrectly. The keyword (e.g., HAITI) should be the body of the text message - similar to e-mail. The shortcode (90999) should be the number you text the keyword to. 90999 is a shared shortcode across many charities that have been approved by the Mobile Giving Foundation or The Mgive Fund (both 501c(3) non-profits). These foundations work with the carriers to ensure that the donations are for legit charities and govern the process since the carriers do not take any of the donation. 90999 is just one shortcode used for donations. Check out http://www.mobilegiving.org or a list of charities and the shortcode they are using. Once you make a donation via text message, you can opt-in to receive further messages but you won’t receive any messages unless you opt-in. The great thing about mobile is that you must opt-in to receive anything - a measure to keep the channel spam free.
Obviously you don’t have to donate through this channel but do some research before stating 90999 and other legit donation methods are a scam. Yes, we must be careful but the mobile is a new channel to make quick and easy donations and actually make a difference.
if you wanna laugh, you should see some bankruptcy jokes.
http://yovia.com/blogs/chicagobankruptcysolutions/2010/01/20/bankruptcy-jokes-2/
For goodness sake people. Don’t text any money. If you want to give then contact a charity. Leave the texting alone and avoid all the problems.
[...] Is Texting 'HAITI' to 90999 a Scam? | The Bankruptcy Blog [...]
Why do people have to scam on helpless people, stop!
Texting “Haiti” to 90999 to donate $10 cost me $27.34. I have unlimited texting, but the donation somehow accesses globalgiving.org and Sprint charged me $17.34
That’s the last time I donate via texting.
I donated $10 via text during a NFL game, then got charged $20. I just got my phone bill again, there is another $20 charge for the same thing. Donating $10 cost me $40. That’s the last time I donate via texting as well.
[...] Is Texting 'HAITI' to 90999 a Scam? | The Bankruptcy Blog [...]