How to support Southern California wildfire victims and not scammers NBC Bay Area [Video]

Large, well-known charities are collecting money for LA fire survivors, but many individuals are asking for direct support, too, online. The donation website GoFundMe says hundreds of people have started fire fundraisers. 

Donors have quickly and generously responded. “To date, more than $100M has been raised on GoFundMe to directly help the families, communities, and businesses affected by the fires,” said GoFundMe spokesperson Leigh Lehman. 

If you want to donate, the Better Business Bureau has a warning about scammers and phony fire fundraisers. The BBB says hoaxes are inevitable. 

“Unfortunately, it’s something that we see very commonly when it comes to natural disasters. Or any sort of community-impacted event,” BBB’s Alma Galvan told Telemundo 48’s Miryam Villarreal.   

To weed out fakers, GoFundMe says it’s verifying each fundraiser. And it’s putting verified fundraisers on a special page on its website.     

“We are getting eyes on these fundraisers and working directly with organizers to confirm their connection to the person or …