FBI Fraud Alert: Haitian Earthquake Relief Fraud Alert

It is one of humanities greatest characteristics – the willingness to help others near and far.  The relief efforts taking place for Haitian victims of the enormous 7.0 earthquake is a wonderful example.

Unfortunately unethical and immoral people take advantage of peoples kindness when events like this occur.  The FBI recently issued a Fraud Alert cautioning each of us to thoroughly research the entity that we give our relief monies to.  Because of the very important nature of this Alert, we are reprinting it in full below.

01/13/10—The FBI today reminds Internet users who receive appeals to donate money in the aftermath of Tuesday’s earthquake in Haiti to apply a critical eye and do their due diligence before responding to those requests. Past tragedies and natural disasters have prompted individuals with criminal intent to solicit contributions purportedly for a charitable organization and/or a good cause.

Therefore, before making a donation of any kind, consumers should adhere to certain guidelines, to include the following:

• 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.

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.

This is sage advice for us all in times of tragedy or not.  Please be careful.  Below is a list of resources that you can use when doing your due diligience.

Top-Rated Charities by the American Institute of Philanthropy – Provides a list of nonprofit organizations by category.

Giving to Haitian Relief Efforts – The site by Guidestar provides information on nonprofits providing relief efforts for Haitain victims as well as very good information regarding determining the legitimacy of an organization.

Tips for Choosing a Charity: A Donor’s 9-Step Guide to Giving Wisely

Questions to Ask a Nonprofit Before Investing in It

mybestsecondhalf.com regularly publishes FBI Fraud Alerts in an effort to protect its readers and retirees everywhere. To view more and stay informed,  visit our Personal Security page regularly.