NEW YORK CITY – Letitia James, New York attorney general, has begun an investigation into NYCharities.org, an online fundraising platform that she alleges has failed to distribute hundreds of thousands of dollars to New York charities over the past several months.

“NYCharities.org is inexcusably depriving charities of their donors’ generosity,” James said. “Leaving New York’s charitable organizations high and dry by denying them what they are owed is unacceptable. My office is launching this investigation because we remain committed to the protection of New York’s charitable sector, and those who contribute to it.”

The investigation, being conducted by the Attorney General’s Charities Bureau, is based on more than 100 complaints from individuals and organizations. The claims of unpaid contributions range from $200 to more than $100,000.

Charities that wish to submit a complaint can do so on the Attorney General’s website, via an email to charities.complaints@ag.ny.gov or by calling the designated hotline at 800-771-7755.

The Charities Bureau has also issued a guidance for charities that have utilized the now defunct fundraising platform. Impacted charities are encouraged to:

¯ If the website is active, use the NYCharities.org account to post a message on the page connected to their organization to alert potential donors that contributions should be made directly to the charity, and, to cancel any recurring contributions that have been set up on NYCharities.org’s website;

¯ Post a notice on their websites indicating that contributions should be made directly to the charity and not via NYCharities.org;

¯ Contact regular contributors to advise them that contributions should be made directly to the charity and not via NYCharities.org and to cancel recurring contributions.