Generous Americans targeted by Haitian earthquake relief Internet scams
January 29, 2010
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula News
Americans are known as generous people, especially when others suffer misfortune, but the FBI is again reminding Internet users who receive appeals to donate money to Haitian relief to apply a critical eye and do their due diligence before responding to those requests.
Haiti was the scene of a magnitude-7 earthquake January 12. Estimates are that up to 200,000 people were killed, 250,000 injured and 1.5 million left homeless in the capital city of Port-au-Prince. “Past tragedies and natural disasters have prompted individuals with criminal intent to solicit contributions purportedly for a charitable organization and/or a good cause,” according to a FBI statement. Before making a donation of any kind, consumers should adhere to certain guidelines.
Topping the FBI list is do not respond to any unsolicited (spam) incoming e-mails, including clicking links contained within those messages. Be skeptical of individuals representing themselves as surviving victims or officials - the latter a twist on the infamous Nigerian royalty scam - asking for donations via e-mail or social networking sites.
Always verify the legitimacy of nonprofit organizations by utilizing various Internet-based resources that may assist in confirming the group’s existence and its nonprofit status rather than following a purported link to the site.
Be very cautious of e-mails that claim to show pictures of the disaster areas in attached files because the files may contain viruses. Only open attachments from known senders.
Make contributions directly to known organizations rather than relying on others to make the donation on your behalf, to ensure contributions are received and used for intended purposes. Do not give your personal or financial information to anyone who solicits contributions; providing such information may compromise your identity and lead to identity theft.
There are many legitimate charities out there accepting donations for Haitian relief, many through simple text messaging. Stick to those that have a known track record or have been vetted.
Remember: If you want to give there are plenty of organizations that will maximize your donation and spend it to help those affected by the Haitian earthquake.
Anyone who has received an e-mail claiming to be a Haitian relief organization or anyone who may have been a victim of this or a similar incident should notify the FBI’s IC3 via www.ic3.gov.
