The FBI is warning those that want to donate money online to help out with the relief efforts for the earthquake that tragically hit Haiti on Tuesday. Those wishing to donate need to be sure where they are donating the money to is a legitimate relief effort and not a scam.
Here are some guidelines the FBI has released for those wishing to donate money towards the Haitian Earthquake relief via the internet.
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 asking for donations via e-mail or social networking sites.
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 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 make you vulnerable to identity theft.
The FBI would like to hear from anyone that receives an email like that referenced above or that becomes a victim of a Haitian Earthquake relief scam. To notify them of such fraudulant activity, contact the IC3.
Written by Denise Clay
For Huliq
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