Local charity falls victim to online scam

What started as an easy way for a local charity to receive donations also placed the organization in the grasp of scammers.

Final Victory Animal Rescue fell victim to online predators in a dog-eat-dog fashion.

Final Victory General Manager Michael Sniezek in December 2024 noticed the existence of a Venmo account posing as the charity. And it was receiving Final Victory donations.

Internet scams are increasing due to new technology and social media, according to the South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs. Its annual report said 53% of consumers who reported scams were contacted by phone, while 33% were contacted online. Consumer Affairs in 2024 named purchase scams as the top reported type of scam. 

Final Victory quickly alerted donors of the impersonation. But some donations and adoption fees were still sent to the fake Venmo account, depriving the charity of essential funds. 

“Last year, about 45% of our income was through donations,” Sniezek said. “The other 55% was through the adoption fees. So the donors are a huge point for it, and it definitely helped out. We really can’t take in dogs with major surgical needs unless we have the donation service support for it.” 

Most of the donors and adopters are out of state, which makes online payments crucial. When the organization was missing adoption fees, Venmo’s process allowed for quick recovery, Sniezek said. 

“Venmo is doing a good job getting it taken care of,” he said. “We reach out to them anytime somebody lets us know that they sent it to the wrong account, which makes everything a lot easier.”

The problem is sometimes difficult to recognize.

“They’re creating these very legitimate looking websites,” Consumer Affairs Communications Director Scott Cooke said. “In some cases, scammers will spend money to run ads. They know that if they are spending money, they will make more money than what they’re putting in.” 

For 24-year-old Molly Joseph, the desired item was Taylor Swift concert tickets. 

Joseph considered herself to be well versed in recognizing scams. So, the offer of $200 Era’s Tour concert tickets from a friend of a trusted friend did not seem suspicious. 

“There were a lot of red flags around it,” Joseph said. “The reason why I ignored that, was because she told me this was her friend.”

She realized her mistake soon after the money was sent. Joseph sent $800 to purchase four tickets. The scammer then requested that she send a screenshot of the payment receipt. After that, it was radio silence. 

“When I didn’t receive it, I started calling the number,” Joseph said. “It said the number was out of service. That’s when I knew.”

After reaching out to her friend, Joseph learned the truth. Her friend saw the ticket offer in a 200-person group chat. 

“I would have known right off the bat that it was a scam,” Joseph said. “That’s ‘How to get scammed 101.’”

Joseph contacted both her bank and Venmo in an attempt to get her money back. But ultimately, her money was gone.

“I tried constantly calling Venmo’s customer service,” she said. “I was constantly getting sent to a computer. Nothing could be done.”

The experience left Joseph wary of using online payment services.

“I do trust Venmo,” she said. “I just am now more cautious of who I send my Venmos to.”

Consumer Affairs focuses on making the public aware of risks associated with themarketplace. The government agency runs advertising campaigns and offers group presentations to the public. 

“Our most recent thing has been our Ditch the Pitch campaign, which kind of outlines various different types of scams that we see, and the defense that you can do to guard yourself,” Cooke said. 

The Ditch the Pitch publication includes strategies for protection against scams:

• When donating to charities, the SCDCA recommends donating to well-known organizations. Registered charities in South Carolina can be found through a search on the Secretary of State’s website. 
• Be skeptical anytime you are connecting a debit account or checking account to a platform.

Cooke recommends against giving out your banking account information. When using an online payment app, link to a card rather than your bank account “because (cards have) got a lot more federal protections on them,” he said.

Also:

• Verify that you are entering the correct address for the recipient. 
• Be wary of those who contact you first.

“If you’re giving money or information out to somebody, you should be the one reaching out,” Cooke said. “You don’t want to just trust, when people contact you out of the blue, that they are who they say they are.”