For one to make sure that his Charity (Zakaah and Sadaqah) rea | Ilm4all

For one to make sure that his Charity (Zakaah and Sadaqah) reaches the poor and the needy, and that he is not a victim of online scams, he should take the following steps:

Distribute it yourself.
Distribute it to people whom you know are indeed in need,
Or to give it to a trustworthy person whom you KNOW and TRUST will distribute it among the poor on your behalf.
Start with distributing it to your poor relatives, then the poor in your community/society, then the poor in your town/city.
It is a mistake to send your charity to far-off places while you have poor relatives and needy in your own town. (A person’s own uncle or cousin might go hungry while he is busy feeding someone he never met).
Avoid trusting every Bakr and Zaid that you meet online with your money. (We have seen so many cases where people have been swindled of their wealth and inheritance, yet many among us do not take heed).
Avoid people who are known for their treachery and deception.
Avoid showing off. (Not all, but many who transfer online is because they then get the chance to boast and show off).

The Hadeeth:

Ibn Abbaas رضي الله عنهما reported: The Prophet ﷺ appointed Muaadh رضي الله عنه as governor of Yemen, and at the time of his departure, he ﷺ instructed him thus: ❝The very first thing to which you should call the people is to testify “Laa ilaaha illallaah” (there is no one worthy of worship except Allaah) and that I (Muhammad) am the Messenger of Allaah, and if they accept this (declaration of Faith), then tell them that Allaah has enjoined upon them five Salaah (prayers) during the day and night; and if they obey you, tell them that Allaah has made the payment of Zakaah obligatory upon them. It should be collected from their rich and distributed among their poor.❞
[Saheeh al-Bukhaaree and Saheeh Muslim]

Shaikh Ibn al-Uthaymeen رحمه الله said:
❝Then he ﷺ said: ❝If they follow that, then teach them that Allaah has obligated them to give Charity which will be collected from their rich and distributed among their poor❞, that is the Zakaah. Zakaah is an obligatory charity due on wealth collected from the rich and given to the poor. The rich here is the individual who has the minimum Zakaah standard (Nisaab), not the person with huge wealth. It rather refers to whosoever has the minimum standard even if he has not more than just the standard minimum amount. His ﷺ saying: ❝and distributed among their poor❞ i.e., distributed among the poor of the town; the poor of a town have more right to be given the charity collected from the inhabitants of the same town.

Hence, those who send their Zakaah to distant countries are mistaken whereas there are those in need in their towns. Such practice is prohibited because the Prophet ﷺ said: ❝to be collected from their rich and distributed among their poor.❞ In addition, the kith and kin have greater rights of nice treatment. Close relatives are certainly aware of your wealth; they know you are rich, so if they do not benefit from your wealth, they begin to nurse enmity and hatred towards you which you would have caused. At times when they notice you sending the charity to faraway places while they are in need, they may attack you and damage your properties. Therefore, even wisdom dictates that so long as you have the needy among the people in your town, you should not send your obligatory charity to others.❞
[Sharh Riyaadh al-Saaliheen of Shaikh Ibn al-Uthaymeen (2/500-501)]