Means Of Detecting & Preventing Scams On Vape Advocacy

The vaping community had been working hard to save people from the pangs of cigarette smoking from the very start. This has led to massive excitement and curiosity amongst users who tried to refine and innovate vaping technology. People can be seen bringing home vaping products at wholesale rates for basking in various wellness benefits. However, this has also made us vulnerable to organizations and people who deliver fake promises of assisting us in this fight against extinction grade regulations.

Malicious politicians had previously offered their help but just ended up eloping with the funds. The vaping community can avail help readily from the internet by connecting with other sharing similar queries and concerns. But they might be duped into heart-breaking scams.

Keeping such things in mind, we have today come up with a guide, which can help you identify questionable people and sketchy behavior. So, read on to enlighten your knowledge about the things you need to investigate whenever an online campaign or advocacy organization asks you for your personal information or money.

Thoroughly examine the website

All legitimate organizations are bound to have an official website and if they don’t, then that’s definitely a big area of concern. While browsing the website you will have to make sure that it carries a professional look and feel.

If the website text is filled with spelling mistakes or typo errors, then you need to think twice about its authenticity. Usually, all websites have a Privacy Policy as well as a Terms & Conditions page, which can be accessed from the footer portion of the website. They should also have an About Us page specifying details pertaining to the organizational structure.

The website needs to have a mission statement where its goal and tactics for accomplishing them are lined out for public review. Once you come across the mission statement of the website, you will have to make sure that it's achievable and reasonable. It becomes easier to check the authenticity of the website if it has social media profiles on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram or Facebook. However, scammers also make fake social media links and you need to make sure that they are posting regularly.

Think twice before donating

You might come across campaigns seeking out financial donations. However, you need to ensure that they are operating with a legitimate motive before trusting them with your money. Doing otherwise can lead to major losses and even make you a victim of identity theft. Legitimate organizations usually have their business account and accept donations either through an e-commerce website or PayPal. Usually they do not opt for financial portals which are designed for individuals as these websites charge a big commission.

Official services are offered by trustworthy organizations, who charge a very small amount of fee. In this way, these companies can enjoy the maximum amount of donations and direct the same towards the success of their campaign. Certain amount of professional legitimacy is required to register for an e-commerce service like PayPal.

You will also have to consider whether the organization is making use of secure service for processing your payment information before donating. E-commerce platforms like Shopify, and services like PayPal and credit card processors such as Authorize.net can be trusted for handling your payments with optimum security.

It might be very risky to enter credit card credentials in any website which is not adequately secure. The secure ones usually begin with https. Chances are high that the website is not secured by SSL certificate if there is no ‘s.’

You will also have to verify whether these organizations have already started working towards the attainment of the goal for which they collected your money. If they have not yet started work, then you will have to examine when they are planning to proceed with the same. Donations might either be recurring or one-time. You need to have a clear notion about the type of donation from the very beginning.

Warning signs

These welfare campaigns are usually led by people having a lot of social relevance and respect. But, if the organizational incubators have a shady background, then you need to proceed with caution. Such a scenario mostly indicates that the organizers do not have adequate knowledge as well as reach for completing the mission.

In this journey, you might come across people who tend to exaggerate about their qualifications. These people are mostly scam artists and function with the sole motive of duping you into shelling out money or maybe share other sensitive information. You also need to steer clear of people who start arguments and spread lies only for gaining more followers.

You need to be aware of forced teaming wherein the influencer makes use of terms such as ‘us’ and ‘we’ for including us forcibly into their actions. People often fall victim to forced teaming as it seems rude to not go with the flow. If you come across someone who seems extremely friendly, then you need to be extra cautious about judging his character. Scammers tend to overshare information for gaining your trust along the way. People who abide by the path of truth do not need to plead others for making themselves sound convincing.

Final Words

If you thought that the online vaping community is friendly and welcoming, then you need to think again. Given the present scenario where we are desperately seeking out acceptance and support from health advocates, regulators, new media, politicians and the general public, we might even fall prey to malicious fraudsters. So, you need to stay vigilant and think twice before taking any call whether it is about donating money or sharing information.