Do you know how to spot a fake charity? Well-meaning donors have sent millions of dollars to fraudulent charities claiming to help veterans. The FTC and the National Association of State Charity Officials developed Operation Donate with Honor to oversee charitable organizations across the nation. “South Carolina is one of the most patriotic and generous states in the nation, so this campaign is especially important for South Carolinians who are happy to support charities that help veterans,” said Attorney General Wilson, a 22-year veteran of the South Carolina National Guard who also served in Iraq. “We want to make sure that South Carolinians’ donations are actually helping the people they’re supposed to, not lining the pockets of con artists.” Currently, the state has 172 “enforcement actions” against fraudulent veteran charities, according to a Thursday press statement. A Warriors Mind, a charity in Lexington, was suspended for failing to file their 2015 and 2016 annual financial reports. These charities have been sued for lying to donors:

• American Disabled Veterans Foundation

• National Vietnam Veterans Foundation

• Healing American Heroes, Inc.

• Veterans Fighting Breast Cancer

• Military Families of America

• VietNow National Headquarters, Inc.

• Foundation for American Veterans, Inc.

• Healing Heroes Network

• Help the Vets, Inc. When donating to charities, Attorney General Wilson advises:

• Ask for the charity’s name, website, and physical location;

• Ask how much of any donation will go to the charitable program you want to support;

• Check out the charity on the South Carolina Secretary of State’s website at www.scsos.com ;

• Search the charity’s name online with the word “scam” or “complaint.” See what other people say about it;

• Check out the charity’s ratings at the Wise Giving Alliance, Charity Watch, or Charity Navigator;

• Never pay with cash, gift cards, or by wiring money;

• Consider paying by credit card, which is the safest option for security and tax purposes. The Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance has fully vetted 25 veteran charities. Included are the Disable Veterans Organization in Columbia and Veterans of Foreign Wars in Lexington. To find more information and a list of the vetted charities, visit www.give.org .