BUTTE COUNTY, CA (MPG) - In light of the recent tragic Feather River Adventist School shooting, Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey is urging Butte County residents to be mindful of where their donations are going and to take extra precaution when offering up charitable contributions that are supposedly going to the victims and their families.

While the popular www.GoFundMe.com site has provided monetary aid to countless families across the United States for many years, not all causes posted on the platform are for benevolent reasons, nor do they always go to the intended recipients.

Donating through mobile/internet can be dangerous. You are not just risking losing the money you intend to donate, but you might be unwittingly giving fraudsters personal identifying information that could be used to access other accounts or steal your identity. Scammers are always looking for new ways to prey on the emotional vulnerability of people who want to provide monetary relief or support to victims and are looking for an easy way to do so with phony fundraisers.

Keep in mind some of these questions before donating to a GoFundMe or other “victim” site:

How is the organizer related to the victim(s)?

Has the GoFundMe/Venmo/Zelle account been fraudulently made to look like it is associated with the victim’s fund?

Are there multiple accounts with the same or similar names displaying the same photographs or information?

Is the intended recipient or family in control of the funds? If not, who is and how do the funds get to the direct victim?

How will the funds be used?

Is the story being copied from another source?

Is the GoFundMe page misleading or do the facts not line up?

Make sure the chosen method of donation is a reputable source before donating.  If you fall victim to a scam, banks and law enforcement may not be able to get the funds reimbursed.

If you are unsure of any of the above questions on any of the donation pages and still want to donate, the North Valley Community Foundation (NVCF) has a direct fundraiser for the injured victims and their families. All funds are being donated directly to the victims and their families, and North Valley Community Foundation is not collecting any fees on the donations.

If you believe any GoFundMe page dedicated to the victims of the Feather River Adventist School shooting to be fraudulent, you can report it at https://support.gofundme.com/hc/en-us/articles/203604694-Report-a-fundraiser.

The link to donate to the North Valley Community Foundation can be found at https://www.nvcf.org/funds/feather-river-adventist-school-victims-fund.

To report a criminal act, contact local law enforcement in your jurisdiction, or the Butte County District Attorney’s Office Fraud hotline at (866)DAFRAUD [1-866-323-7283] or the DA website at https://form.jotform.com/213054252417043.