ST. LOUIS (KTVI) - Thousands of lives lost and miles of destruction are reminders of the powerful seven point eight magnitude earthquake that hit Nepal over the weekend. Help is desperately needed. The latest reports from Nepal indicate the quake is responsible for over five thousand deaths and at least eight thousand injuries. This mammoth natural disaster has the better business bureau offering advice on giving.
Chris Thetford of the Better Business Bureau says donate to trusted charities with a track record. Avoid charities that appear to pop up overnight. Be wary of claims that a specific charity will use 100 percent of donations to help victims. That's just not possible. But you do want give to organizations that use 35 percent or less of the donations received on administrative costs. Your computer is also an attractive tool for scammers according to Thetford. 'We`ll see after events like this, emails will go out encouraging you to click on something to make a donation. But you don`t know actually who it`s giving to. So you just need to be careful. Everybody wants to help but we want people to help and give wisely.'
Natural disasters bring out the true generosity of Americans. But the poorly run and fraudulent charities do more harm than good. Below are links to the Better Business Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission.