From our friends at the Better Business Bureau of the Mid-South:

Storms and floods ravaged much of West and Middle Tennessee this past weekend. Home and business owners will need repair and clean-up work done and those not affected by the storms may be looking for ways to help those less fortunate. The Better Business Bureau of the Mid-South is urging consumers to carefully check out both unsolicited offers for repairs and clean-up services as well as requests from charities.

“Whenever there is a major natural disaster, be it at home or abroad, there are two things you can count on. The first is the generosity of people to donate time and money to help victims, and the second is the appearance of poorly run or fraudulent charities and fly-by-night contractors looking to take advantage of people,” said Nancy Crawford, Director of Marketing & Communications.

“Scam artists often flock to disaster areas promising quick repairs, and then take a consumer’s money and don’t deliver quality services,” said Crawford. “And those donating to disaster relief efforts need to be concerned about avoiding fraud, as well as making sure their money goes to competent relief organizations that are equipped and experienced to handle the unique challenges of providing assistance.”

The BBB offers these tips on vetting charitable solicitations and repair contractors:

DONATION TIPS:

Beware of door-to-door solicitations on behalf of flood and storm victims. Rely on expert opinion when it comes to evaluating a charity.

o Check out national charities and relief organizations onwww.bbb.org/charity to verify that they are accredited by the BBB and meet the 20 Standards for Charity Accountability.

Be wary of claims that 100 percent of donations will assist relief victims.

o Despite what an organization might claim, charities have fund raising and administrative costs.

Be cautious when giving online.

o Never respond to unsolicited emails that claim to link to a relief organization. Many new Web sites and organizations are created overnight in the wake of a disaster to allegedly to help victims.

Find out if the charity has an on-the-ground presence in the impacted areas.

o Unless the charity already has staff in the affected areas, it may be difficult to get new aid workers there to quickly provide assistance. See if the charity’s website clearly describes what they can do to address immediate needs.

Find out if the charity is providing direct aid or raising money for other groups.

o Some charities may be raising money to pass along to relief organizations. If so, you may want to consider “avoiding the middleman” and giving directly to charities that have a presence in the region. Or, at a minimum, check out the ultimate recipients of these donations to ensure the organizations are equipped to effectively provide aid.

Don’t be pressured into making on-the-spot donations in cash.

REPAIR TIPS: