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It’s natural for people to want to help others when disaster strikes, says one local business owner in the midst of a hurricane season that has seen more destruction than any other in recent years. Unfortunately, not all charities and requests for assistance are legitimate. A spokesperson for local business directory, FindUsLocal.com, noted that business directories and local business listings can help people avoid scam artists and those who seek to profit from the urge to help others recover and rebuild after hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Jose.
People naturally want to reach out and help their fellow citizens after major disasters like this season’s widespread hurricanes, but they want to be sure their donations are actually going to help local businesses and residents in those affected areas.
“This year in particular,” the spokesperson said, “people are legitimately skeptical of enormous multinational charities and want to donate to grass-roots cleanup and recovery efforts headed up by local organizations that are on the ground in the affected areas. Unfortunately, some unscrupulous actors are using that enrich themselves at the expense of those who need the help. A little research with a local business directory can help people avoid sending their money to scam artists who prey on people who need help.”
Local business directories, most often seen as strategies for small business owners to promote and advertise their business services, are one way to verify whether a business or organization actually has a local presence in one of the affected areas, Find Us Local pointed out. Business directory listings can help verify the business address and contact details for local businesses, including charitable organizations and business coalitions. Searching a local business directory for those listings is one way to weed out fake charities and scam artists who masquerade as contractors in the wake of hurricanes and other disasters.
In addition, some local business directories publish ratings and reviews from patrons of those businesses, giving a potential donor some insight into the local reputation of businesses and organizations they’re considering for their donations.
“Before contributing to any local charity,” the spokesperson concluded, “check to see if they’re listed in an online local business directory and read the reviews of those who are most familiar with their work. If they have no listing, or if the listing was only added to the directory in the past few weeks, it should raise a red flag.”
About FindUsLocal: FindUsLocal uses geolocation technology in visitor’s browsers to construct a home page focused on their city, town or community. Right there on the front page, they’ll find local weather, sports results for their favorite teams, and announcements of the top musical acts and events coming to their city. Smart business owners list their businesses on the site to be seen by those who are specifically looking for businesses in their local area.
Release ID: 241489