How do you know an online person or organization is legitimate?
08:46, 18 October 2010
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The Internet has made it easier than ever to connect to complete strangers.
And that's a great thing, and a not-so-great thing.
Many years ago, I received an email from someone inviting me to a conference that she said was sponsored by an organization that I'm not going to name now, but that everyone in the USA is familiar with. There was a web site for the conference, and while it was rudimentary, the World Wide Web was so new at that time that most every web site was rudimentary. She dropped some big names as speakers, and invited me to present as well, all expenses paid. I said yes!
I arrived at the conference -- and found that there pretty much was no conference. The other speakers were, indeed, there, and were as shocked as I was. There were just a handful of attendees at the facility where the conference was to be held -- a facility not at all appropriate for a conference. It turned out that one disturbed woman, with a lot of time on her hands and excellent Internet access, had gotten us all there for a conference that the well-known nonprofit we all know wasn't involved with at all. We all came home early with a huge lesson learned and more out-of-pocket expenses than we had expected.
I made assumptions then that I would never make now. And I didn't do the research then that I always do now when someone makes a proposal to me, asks for advice or help, etc.
Laying eyes on someone does not make them more credible than meeting them online, of course, and it's now never been easier to do your own background check on anyone you meet, whether you meet them online or offline. So I'm not at all saying the Internet is bad. But the downside of such easy access to people online means that you might find yourself having to do more checking than ever to make sure the person you are talking to really is who he or she says, that the organization he or she represents really does exist, etc. And the downside is also that unscrupulous people -- or terribly misguided people -- can reach out on a larger scale than ever before.
I get emails from total strangers every day, making proposals, asking questions or sharing their own information. How do I know they are who they say they are? I:
- Type the person and organization's name into Google. What comes up? The person's profiles on various professional and even social networking sites? Articles and presentations that person has published or made available online? The staff list of the organization the person claims to be a part of, with that person's name listed? Nothing at all?
- Ask why the person might be using using a Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail or other free email address, rather than an email from such-and-such organization that he or she claims to represent.
- Check to see if the person listed on LinkedIn or Plaxo or any other professional networking site. If so, is the biography robust or vague?
- Check online to see if the person is cited in any media articles or in papers or presentations produced by other organizations.
- Type the person's organization into Google. What comes up? A web site for the organization? References to the organization in a media article or on a web site produced by another organization? How many web pages refer to the organization that are on pages the organization itself did not produce?
- If the person claims to be a student at a university and wants access to your research or wants to cite your materials as a source, ask for the name and email address of the student's professor or adviser, and ask for a copy of the paper when it is finished.
If something doesn't add up, I do more research. For instance, a person may say he or she writes for a major newspaper, but the person has a free mail address via Yahoo, Gmail, etc. If I type the person's name into Google, with the name of the newspaper, some articles should come up written by the person. If nothing comes up, I write the person, say what I did and what the results were, and ask what's up. Sometimes the person disappears and I never hear from him or her again; sometimes, the person sends a couple of articles he or she wrote, to she that, indeed, the person is credible.
Sure, someone could fake affiliations, creating fake web sites, fake articles, fake online profiles etc. It would take hours and hours of time to do that. And it is doubtful someone with that kind of time and resources is going to target me, or your small nonprofit or NGO; instead, we will be targeted by people claiming to be from an NGO that might not exist, or is not officially registered, or is a one-person operation. Or, even worse, by people claiming to be a part of a foundation we have heard of, saying they have a grant or a job for us.
If absolutely nothing comes up in an Internet search for a person or organization that has written me -- no reference to them or the organization they claim to represent -- I still write the person back. I mention that I couldn't find any reference to them or their organization online. And I find out very quickly what the person's true motivations are after a few exchanges. If there is a request for money, for instance, that's a red flag.
One measure-for-legitimacy I have had to abandon is spelling, because I deal with so many people worldwide who are not native English speakers. Don't discard an email simply because it's filled with misspellings. First consider: is it from a non-Native English speaker? Is it from someone who is young and hasn't mastered writing? Next, what is it that the person is really asking for? It may be an attempt by a small, fledgling NGO to fundraise legitimately, rather than to rip you off. A few email exchanges will let you know the person's true motivations.
Also see:
Vetting Organizations in Other Countries
A resource that can help you evaluate volunteer-placement organizations that charge for volunteer placements, as well as for people interested in partnering or supporting an organization abroad but wanting to know it's a credible organization, that it's not some sort of scam, or an "organization" of just one person.
Use the Internet to apply to volunteer? CAREFUL!.
Use Your Web Site to Show Your Accountability
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