WASHINGTON -- The FBI is warning against charity scams that prey on Americans looking to donate to the disaster in Japan.
The FBI issues these kinds of warnings after most natural disasters, but criminals still manage to exploit charitable people regardless. These scams often come in the form of fraudulent emails or phony websites, but can also come from door-to-door collectors, flyers, mailings and telephone calls, among any number of methods.
Bureau officials encourage anyone looking to donate to go through some due diligence on their own before giving to donation solicitors of any sort.
So far, only a few scams have been identified.
Here are 10 easy tips to stay safe and avoid charity fraud:
- Don't respond to unsolicited/spam emails -- including clicking links in those messages. Those links could contain a computer virus.
- Be skeptical of anyone claiming to be from a charity asking for donations via email or social networking sites.
- Beware of organizations with "copy cat" names, which are names similar to reputable charities.
- Don't just follow a link to a supposedly reputable website. Instead, use any number of online resources -- like the Better Business Bureau -- that can help confirm a charity's legitimacy and nonprofit status.
- Watch out for emails that claim to have pictures of the disaster areas in attached files. These may easily contain viruses. Only open attachments from senders you are truly familiar with.
- Make contributions directly to a known organization rather than relying on others to make the donation on your behalf. This ensures that the contributions are received and used for the purposes you intended.
- Do not be pressured into making contributions. Reputable charities do not pressure you into donating.
- Providing personal and financial information can leave you vulnerable to identity theft. Make sure you know who you're dealing with when providing this kind of information.
- Avoid cash donations. Pay by credit card or write a check directly to the charity. Do not make checks payable to individuals.
- Legitimate charities don't normally use money transfer services for donations. Most legitimate charities have websites that end in ".org" rather than ".com" domains.
After Hurricane Katrina, the Department of Justice created the National Center for Disaster Fraud to investigate, prosecute and deter charity fraud. Since then, the center has been expanded to include both natural and man-made disasters.
Anyone who suspects a fraudulent charity can report it to the National Center for Disaster Fraud at (866) 720-5721. The line is staffed by live operators 24/7. Email tips can be sent to disaster@leo.gov, or faxed to (225) 334-4707.
WKYC-TV
