New Scam Alter

Type: Haitian Earthquake Relief Scam

Method of Delivery: Email

Primary Region Effected: Nationwide

Source: Federal Bureau of Investigation (www.fbi.gov)

Scam Characteristics:

Floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, and wildfires devastate thousands of lives and destroy millions of dollars in property every year. Compassionate individuals often help by donating their time and money to charities that provide aid to the victims.

Unfortunately, this tragedy has prompted criminals to exploit this goodwill, and use it to obtain the personal identity data of caring individuals.

Posing as legitimate charitable organizations, scammers send out fraudulent emails asking for donations to support those in need. These emails often contain links that direct the recipient to legitimate-looking websites where they are asked to submit personal and financial information, including:

credit card numbers;
date of birth;
Social Security number; and
driver's license information.

The emails may also include attachments that, when downloaded, install spyware and viruses designed to harvest sensitive information from your computer.

While this phishing scam has existed for years, it resurfaces often and is still commonly used to steal personal identity information.

The following are steps you can take to help avoid becoming a victim of this scam:

• NEW! If you are planning to donate via text message, double check the phone number you are texting to. Scammers may set up similar phone numbers in the hope that you may misdial and send your donation into the pockets of a thief.
• I strongly recommend that you only make contributions to known organizations using a published phone number, postal address, or website. If you are contacted by an unknown organization seeking donations, I advise that you verify the legitimacy of the group by confirming their existence and status as a nonprofit before making any contributions.
• It is recommended that you make all contributions directly to the organization, and never through a third party.
• Rather than following a link to a site, I encourage you to access the charity's website directly by typing their published website address in your browser's address bar. Scammers often mimic the design of a real charity's website to trick donors into providing them with private information.
• Attempt to verify the legitimacy of the organization by using various Internet-based resources (Google, Yahoo!, etc.).
  

For more information on this scam, or variations of it, visit the FBI's website at www.FBI.gov.
Use the search function and enter "Charity Fraud Alert".