T here have been a lot of reports in recent days about a homeless veteran who alleges that a New Jersey couple spent more than $400,000 they had raised on his behalf on the crowdfunding website GoFundMe.  The case raises a good question: How safe are the campaigns on crowdfunding websites?  The answer is that you're taking your chances when you respond to these online appeals. There are plenty of cases of alleged fraud on crowdfunding websites, such as the one I mention in  a story  I wrote for Consumer Reports. In that instance, an Iowa woman was placed on probation after she pleaded guilty to misrepresenting that her daughter had cancer. Even if a crowdfunding site has a policy to protect donors from fraud, it can be difficult to determine whether the money has been used for the advertised charitable purpose. And there are other considerations. Donations to crowdfunding campaigns typically aren't tax deductible. And when you donate through these sites,...