The Better Business Bureau is warning that a charity soliciting donations for tornado-ravaged Joplin appears to be a fake organization.

The Southwest Missouri BBB says rescuejoplin.org is not registered as a 501c (3) nonprofit group.

The organization also claims to be affiliated with "Faith Ministries International" but the BBB said no such organization is affiliated with the website.

A spokeswoman for Attorney General Chris Koster says his office also is investigating rescuejoplin.org.

Rescue Joplin does not include contact information on its site.  And The Springfield News Leader reports that the BBB has not been able to contact anyone involved with the website.

In a response to the media coverage, Reverend E. Lee Terry writes on the rescuejoplin.org website, "To the Attorney General “spokesperson”, Nanci Gonder, and the Attorney General, Chris Koster, I welcome any questions that you may have for me, about anything, or anyone and I will answer them without advice from legal counsel, for I have already sought my advice from The Lord.  I will answer all of your questions as plainly and honestly as humanly possible and at the end we will see how quickly the media reports your findings."

Always be careful when choosing to donate your hard earned dollar.  Click here to check out a business or charity on BBB's website.

More than anything, always use your best judgement and common sense.  If it is too good to be true, it probably is!

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