New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo recently announced on Tuesday June 22nd that he has subpoenaed 16 different car donation charities and fundraisers that could be scams. This is all part of an ongoing investigation that Cuomo hopes will halt fraudulent activity that takes advantage of trusting citizens.
One organization, Feed the Hungry (FTH) is charged with raising $430,000 with car donations between 2002 and 2009 but only donating 1.8 percent of that towards its said cause of feeding homeless New Yorkers. The rest of the money, was allegedly spent on personal purchases by the director of the charity, Nicholas Cascone Jr.
When you decide to donate a car, it cannot be expressed enough that you need to carefully consider your options. While you might believe you are making a charitable contribution, you might just be taken for a ride instead.
“We remain concerned that similar practices may prevail in other organizations and will diligently work to root out any other sham charities. As we continue working to clean up this industry, we encourage generous New Yorkers to stay informed and to keep donating to worthy charities,” said Cuomo.
Other charities that are under the microscope include Kars 4 Kids, Bless the Kids and Lechaim for Life. While you can still receive your car donation tax deduction if you were to donate to such charities, you might not be donating to a worthy cause and these companies are still taking advantage of their nonprofit status.