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Our emails inboxes are full of causes with petitions, surveys and requests for donations. Which are legitimate? They are needy, and many of us are desperate to act effectively in these critical times. With the internet, it is so easy for them to reach out to many and seek money.

Which are scams? It’s hard to know. But imagine that you are a crook, need money and wish to milk the internet. Here is all you need to do to raise dollars: (and we are not even talking about hackers or GoFundMe.) 

1. Create an idea, we’ll call it Lovers of Toads. 

2. Claim Lovers of Toads supports a great cause. Write a mission statement of how important toads are for preventing corruption, protecting our environment, promoting our health, addressing inequality, or saving the Post Office. 

3. Organize a focus group to figure out how to make the toad message appealing. 

• See the how the poor toad is having trouble catching flies for dinner, all because of climate change.
• Toads improve our health by swimming in ponds; this will lower our cholesterol.
• Funds protecting toads are in danger. We need to have more oversight to prevent corruption.

5. Design an email appeal. In the email, ask people to do something; it increases donations. Ask for an opinion, a petition signature or answers to a survey: 

O Toads are important to the environment. O Toads are not important to the environment. 

O We should fund toad protection. O We should not fund toad protection. 

O It is my right to stroke a toad. O My right to stroke a toad is in danger. 

You can save these poor toads by donating to Lovers of Toads. DONATE 

7. Buy lots of email addresses and send them out in areas where people are likely to care about toads 

The only important item in the email is the donation button. Note that you never see the results of surveys, may not know to whom petitions are to be delivered or if they are ever actually delivered. 

Choose to donate carefully to be effective. Find out about the organization. If you recognize it, make sure that it is the organization it claims it is. Sometimes all you need to do is look at the email address of the sender. For example, it might ask for money for a famous cause like the United Way, but the sender’s email address will say Somebody@Whatever.com 

To be sure to know where your donation goes: 

• Check out a charity or cause with your state consumer protection office or the Better Business Bureau or political party before you give.
• Verify the name. Fakes often choose names that are close to well-established organizations.
• Don’t assume that you can get a tax deduction for this donation. Use the IRS’s database of 501(c)3 organizations to find out if it has this status.
• Don’t send cash or wire money. Pay with a check or credit card that you can track.

But be wary.
Use your delete and spam buttons; unsubscribe to cut down on the email flood.