(WHTM) — The number of hurricane victims is about to increase dramatically. Milton comes ashore in Florida in a matter of hours, and Helene victims still have a lot of cleanup ahead.

So many people are donating money to help. If you are looking for an easy way to donate, Simply text the word Helene to 90999, or visit the American Red Cross website, and you’ll automatically donate $10. The donation showing up on your next month’s cell phone bill.

The biggest local group helping the victims is the North Carolina Relief Fund, supported by Governor Roy Cooper. Other groups helping include the Salvation Army, Global Giving, and catholic charities.

But beware of fake appeals for money.

In the aftermath of Helene, the FBI is once again warning about phishing scams that appear to come from organizations like the Red Cross but are really after your money.

Remember: the Red Cross will not email you asking for a donation. Many of these requests use a misspelled Red Cross email address and will send you to a private PayPal account.

Also, beware door to door requests for money, unless you are absolutely sure its for a legitimate organization.

Sharon Parker almost donated to a relief request, “She was asking for cash. She said 40 dollars, but she had loose bills in her hand,” she said.

Until the solicitor refused to show her ID.

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“Kinda waving it at me,” Parker said. “And when I reached out to look at it, she pulled it back.”

Finally, GoFundMe will likely explode in the coming days with crowdsourcing requests for individual victims. But be careful if you don’t know who is asking for the donation.

So please, donate and help Helene victims. But be skeptical of email and text requests to help out so you don’t waste your money.

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