[wisconsin] Haitian Earthquake Relief Fraud Alert

[Kathy Brockman]

>Hi everyone,
Seems the list has been pretty quiet lately. Hope 
you are all enjoying the milder weather. Thought 
I would forward this; it's sad that this type of 
thing does happen when tragedies occur. We all 
need to be aware of this stuff too as blind 
people. Have a good day! Kathy Brockman

>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.

Kathy Brockman, Membership Coordinator
Badger Association
912 N Hawley Rd  •  Milwaukee, WI 53213
414-615-0107 • 414-256-8744 FAX
www.badgerassoc.org
Badger Association - Your VISION Resource Center