The FBI is warning people that there may be people on the Internet trying to capitalize on the recent natural disaster in Haiti. Previous natural disasters and tragedies have brought people out of the woodwork using the guise of a charitable organization to con others out of their money.
The FBI is warning that if you plan on making a contribution to help Haitian relief efforts, please check the organization you’re donating to very carefully and do your homework before giving personal information or money to any so-called charitable organizations.
According to the FBI, the following steps should be taken before making a donation:
1. Do not respond to any unsolicited (spam) incoming e-mails, including clicking links contained within those messages.
2. Be skeptical of individuals representing themselves as surviving victims or officials asking for donations via e-mail or social networking sites.
3. 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.
4. Be 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.
5. 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.
6. Do not give your personal or financial information to anyone who solicits contributions. Providing such information may compromise your identity and make you vulnerable to identity theft.
7. Anyone who has received an e-mail referencing the above information or anyone who may have been a victim of this or a similar incident should notify the IC3 via www.ic3.gov.
Friends Read Free
Copy
Facebook
Tweet
