[sasi] Haitian Earthquake Relief Fraud Alert

[Rita Kersh]

Federal Bureau of Investigation - Press Release
>
> Haitian Earthquake Relief Fraud Alert
>
> 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:
>
> list of 6 items
> . 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.
> list end
>
> 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.
>
>
> <http://www.fbi.gov/pressrel/pressrel10/earthquake011310.htm>
> http://www.fbi.gov/pressrel/pressrel10/earthquake011310.htm