Beware of California wildfire scams
Beware of California wildfire scams
31 October 2007
published by blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com
USA — Where there’s disaster, fraudsters and scammers seem to follow. TheFederal Bureau of Investigation is warning of potential fraud related to theSouthern California wildfires, including Internet based scams representingthemselves to be disaster relief charities.
The FBI has set up a complaint line to report disaster-related fraud schemes,800-CALL FBI (225-5324) or www.ic3.gov.
Here are some tips to protect yourself:
- Don’t response to spam emails and don’t click on links within those emails.
- Be wary of those who say they’re officials soliciting via e-mail for donations.
- Give to established charities.
- Make direct contributions to an organization rather than relying on others to make the donation on your behalf.
- Check the legitimacy of the group by going directly to its Web site.
- Verify the group by using sources like Charity Navigator, the BBB Wise Giving Alliance or the American Institute of Philanthropy.
