The FBI is warning consumers to be on the lookout for E-mails purportedly soliciting funds to support the victims of the recent earthquake in China. "Some of the Chinese earthquake scam messages claim to be offering free vacation trips to the largest donors and even use fake logos of legitimate online pay services to fool people," the FBI said in a release.
Similar fraudulent efforts followed other recent tragedies, such as 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, and the shootings at Virginia Tech, the FBI said. Criminals apparently use such events to prey upon the sympathy of individuals.
"People should feel free to make donations. Just make sure you know who you are dealing with and where the donations are going," Special Agent Richard Kolko said in the release. "This way you can make sure your money really makes a difference and helps out a needy person, not a greedy criminal."
The FBI provided a number of tips to help consumers protect themselves from such scams:
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 nonprofit 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.
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