New scam? "Help Save Darfur"

I've been seeing these "Help Save Darfur" objects show up on my land lately, asking for donations. Two today and two a day or so ago. Both times, the owner was one day old and no-payment-on-file. I AR'ed and returned both times.

Anybody else seeing these things? Sorta shouts "scam!" to me but I haven't seen anybody else mention them.

As someone who frequently deals with charity events of various kinds, I've found only one way to be (reasonably) sure.

Ask for a published connexion between the avatar or group in question and the official charity, via the charity's clearly official website or office.

Or I'll personally accept a Linden 'vouch' for such-and-such charity being real.

Beyond that - a firm 'verification first please.'

They're not asking to put stuff in my place - it's just showing up there..

Saw a weird thing today when this happened. I was just finishing the AR/return of one when another one showed up a few meters away. The owner was offline and the objects themselves didn't contain any embedded objects. I couldn't find a rezzer on my land but didn't have time to look elsewhere in the sim..

Legitimate charities don't go around placing solicitation signs on your land without your permission. There are legitimate channels to go through if you want to provide humanitarian aid to Darfur. I recommend that you continue to do what you are doing i.e. AR the owner and return the objects.

Scam. Keep doing what you're doing.

BTW, can I place a "Help save Darfish." box on your property? All donations go to the "Trout need a wheel alignment on his truck in RL and is short a few bucks this month" fund. It's not a 501(c)(3), but trust me, any charity is appreciated. The money from this particular fund is used to promote transportation for middle-aged guys who are too out-of-shape to safely walk to and from work and who would otherwise have to ride in a wobbly vehicle that pulls to the right. It's a safety and comfort issue and it helps people (people=me) right here in the good old USofA.

Uneven tire wear and loose steering joints are no laughing matter. Misaligned wheels kill. This is a worth cause and I urge everyone here to give generously.*


*the preceding message was meant in jest. I actually do need a wheel re-alignment, but I don't need donations. I don't want to put boxes on anyone's land. Please don't flame me or IM me and tell me I'm stealing from needy African children. It was just a joke. I love African children. Maybe not as much as Madonna or Angeline Jolie, but I still love them.

Hey Im sure they send a dollar to Darfur after collecting $1000 for themselves.

You people are so cynical.

With my charity, 100% of everything collected goes to the intended recipient.

It's a scam. These have been popping up on busy sims that leave build on, you're not the only one.
.

well in my scenario 99.99% goes to the intended recipient,

Of course the intended recipient is the one asking for money -

Not anyone in Darfur.

In my scenario it's a cash business that I don't report to the IRS, so that extra .01% goes to defray the cost of fleeing the country when the IRS catches wind of me. I hear Costa Rica is lovely this time of year.

What the hell is a darfur?

A part of the Sudan where there has been lasting violence and resulting starvation.

You can't trust none of these so called charities, I don't. I won't ever give anything to any of them as you don't know who is telling the truth or not. Forget all the fancy talk about who they're supposedly trying to help. Also, the companies being advertised in many of these charities are just there to spruce up all the talk.

Just ignore them as you would a street begger. You don't trust these either, right? So why do it here? Because it's not being done by some smelly bum? In many cases there's no difference between the two, you just don't know it.

A relation of mine had planned to be on the flight from Boston that crashed into the South Tower on 9/11.
Her plans changed.
At the time that we could have been frantically emailing and searching for news, the first of a flood of the Red Cross / Survivors spam began.

Darfur my ass!!

Darfur oil is Chinese, so the killing will not be interrupted by the West.
In the meantime, Western pond scum will use it to make money in scams and munitions.

Wow

I don't think we should lose sympathy for the disadvantaged of the world because many charities are poorly run, or even outright scams.

The American Red Cross for example, the problem isn't their motivation, their problem is they have become big business.

No. Don't lose sympathy.
Just be very aware of the plausible pond scum.

Desmond's advice is on the mark.
Just choose your verified charity carefully. Educate yourself before giving.
Giving unquestioningly knee-jerkwise from the heart has become a lottery in the modern age.