Several GoFundMe fundraisers have been made to support victims of the Davis Fire.
The crowdfunding organization says scams are rare on their site, but they can happen.
So far, they say they have not seen any for the recent fire that burned through Washoe Valley and south Reno.
"Our hearts go out to everyone across Reno and the surrounding areas who have been affected by the Davis Fire," said Melanie Standage, Communications Manager, GoFundMe.
GoFundMe does have a system in place to make sure they money is going to the right place.
For each fundraiser that is created, the organization reaches out to figure out four things.
Who the organizer is, who they're raising money for, the relationship between those people and how the funds will be used.
"If any questions arise during that process, our payment processors will hold the funds until a fundraiser is notified and that's really important for people to know that we work directly with fundraiser organizers to get that information," Standage said.
For each page you click on, the organization has some tips for you.
"Does the page have a clear title, image and story?" Standage said. "Understand how the funds are going to be used and then on a GoFundMe fundraiser you can check the comments. Are friends donating? Are family members donating?"
GoFundMe has two features for people to use, for those who may be skeptical.
There is a contact button where donors can reach out to the organizer directly.
If you still think something is fishy, you can report a fundraiser and someone from the GoFundMe team will investigate it immediately.
The organization has protections for your donation dollars, if your money does go to one of these bad actors.
"In the rare instance that something goes wrong, your donation of any amount is protected after one full year after that donation is made," Standage said.
GoFundMe has created a centralized hub of all verified fundraisers for the Davis Fire.
You can find it at this link.
