A new consumer publication from the Federal Trade Commission, "Charitable Donations - Give or Take," offers guidance on how to avoid charity scams (see www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/tmarkg/charity.htm). The publication provides advice regarding matters such as how to determine whether an organization is a legitimate charity, how to find out how your donation will be used and how to stop the charity from sharing your personal information with other organizations.

The publication includes a list of organizations you can contact to obtain additional information about specific charities, as well as information about where to complain if you believe an organization is not a legitimate charity, is using misleading solicitation tactics or is ignoring your requests not to be called.