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Recent history, including Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and
Ivan; the tsunamis in Asia; and the terrorist attacks of
September 11, 2001, has shown that some criminals seek to
profit from disaster by means of fraud. The FBI asks that
individuals beware of e-mails claiming to seek donations
for Hurricane Gustav relief efforts. The FBI will be checking
for fraudulent websites and e-mails and will thoroughly investigate
all complaints.
Everyone should consider the following:
- Do not respond to unsolicited (spam) e-mail.
- Be skeptical of individuals
representing themselves as officials soliciting via e-mail for donations.
- Do
not click on links contained within an unsolicited e-mail.
- Be cautious
of e-mail claiming to contain pictures in attached files, as the files
may contain viruses. Only open attachments from known
senders.
- To ensure contributions are received and used for intended
purposes, make contributions directly to recognized organizations rather
than relying on others to make the donation on your behalf.
- Validate
the legitimacy of the organization by directly accessing the recognized
charity or aid organization's website rather
than following
an alleged link to the site.
- Attempt to verify the legitimacy
of the non-profit status of the organization by using various Internet-based
resources,
which also
may assist in confirming
the actual existence of the organization.
- Do not provide
personal or financial information to anyone who solicits contributions:
providing such information
may compromise
your identity
and expose you to identity theft.
“People that want to donate to the victims should do so, but should
make sure the donation goes to a legitimate charity. We cannot allow the
kindness of Americans to be exploited in times of crisis,” said Special
Agent Richard Kolko, Chief, National Press Office. “We want to help
ensure that the money and support so generously offered reaches the intended
recipients—the victims of Hurricane Gustav—and that people
who donate do not themselves become victims.”
To receive the latest information about cyber scams, please go to the
FBI website and sign up for e-mail alerts by clicking on one of the red
envelopes. If you have received a scam e-mail, please notify the IC3 by
filing a complaint at www.ic3.gov. For more information on e-scams, please
visit the FBI's New E-Scams and Warnings webpage.
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