Donation and Scammers - How I Deal With It

On this blessed Friday afternoon, I would like to share my thoughts on this. It is a sharing of what I practice in my life and and is not meant to say this is the only way nor it is the right way to go about. It is just part of how Shahril Mokhtar mind and heart works.

Lately, I notice that several people have raised the white flag and shared a snapshot of minimal bank account of his or hers and request contribution. This is more evident from the local Malaysian community. My personal experience however, I have also received help request from other parts of the world through private messages.

It has also come to my attention that there are people who does their own inquiry and investigation of the legitimacy of such request or situation of the white flag bearer. A good way to help control or stop scammers from taking advantage of people's sincerity in giving.

Past Experience

You may not believe this but yes, I myself have the experience of having nearly zero balance in my bank account. Not so much because of I mismanaged my financial needs but more because of a situational reason that I was put in that needed me to really remedy it for many years. At times, I purposely request with my manager to do an 'offshore hopping' just so that I do not need to use my salary for myself on land and can divert my full salary to remedy the situation I was put in. In one of those years I was working offshore, I even spent 11 out of 12 months that year offshore and only saw land for 1 month. I hopped from one project to another project under various operators domestically and internationally. Even my late mom jokingly said to me - 'I am glad you still remember your way home' after I have not been home for so long.

I have also seen how the recession in 1985 and 1997 effected my late father in which only now, being a husband and father that I really understand the burden and fear of not be able to provide sufficiently. Its not about loosing faith in The Almighty about sustenance, it is about being human where we come with a complete package of emotional turbulence and instability.

So, Do I Donate Or Not?

Now, this is what I practice each time I see or receive a plea for financial help regardless from an individual I know or don't know or from an organisation. Some of the plea comes in as a request for short term loan, some a straight donation or sedeqah:

1. Istighfar (ask for forgiveness from The Almighty)
2. Recite a doa (prayers) - Please clear my heart and mind from any bad thoughts. Please open my heart to help if the person indeed in need of help. Please ease the burden of the person in need of help.
3. Have a good look at that person's picture and really imagine how is it like to be in the same situation
4. Start the online transaction while still reciting the prayers of item 2 above
5. Praise the Almighty at the end of this process
6. Move on! - Sounds simple but this is the hardest part actually.

The Results?

Most times, the transaction goes through. However, there are times that I just could not click the 'Approve' icon at the end of the transaction. Either way, I still utter out number 5 above.

A number of these individuals actually come back to me later to either repay or say thank you and update their progress. Of course, there are also some that comes back and ask for more help.

Special note on Step 6:

I avoid going back to ask myself did I do the right thing? This is also to avoid from feeling guilty of not being able to help.

Oppps! I Still Got Scammed!

So what do I do when somehow I got to know that I was scammed? I utter out number 5 again as I have no regrets as I believe the The Almighty still accept the deed of the charity given.

If all the evidences of the scammer are real, yes I shall share and warn others. If I still have doubt about it, I do not share or warn others.

Do I Share The Plea and Publicize My Help?

A sensitive topic to us Malaysians especially in the recent few weeks when a number of public figures were involved in a charity drama.

For me, I will share the plea only after I have done the 6 steps above and to provide others a platform to do a direct good deed as well.

If I do give help to individual, I do not publicize it because I take it as a very personal bond between myself, the person and The Almighty.

However, if I give help to an organisation or charity drive e.g. involved in a soup kitchen activity, I usually will share it with the intention of pulling more people to do good as well.

Disclaimer

This is purely a personal sharing on what I practice. It is not my intention to teach nor say that this is the right way to do charity or detect a scammer. Most may also say that LinkedIn is not the platform for this kind of sharing which I can also understand why.

If you feel that this sharing is useful, do share it and I thank you.

If you feel that you have just wasted 10 minutes of your precious time reading this, I apologize.

Stay Safe and Stay Sane everyone!