May 22, 2008
By now you've probably received at least one email asking you to contribute to Chinese earthquake relief efforts. The FBI says its just the latest example of scammers cashing in on widely publicized tragedies.
"Scammers and criminals come forward after many of these tragic events and you should be wary of unsolicited requests for money," said Special Agent Richard Kalko. "People should feel free to make donations, just make sure you know who you are dealing with."
Some of the Chinese earthquake relief scams even promise contributors free vacations if they are among the largest donors. The FBI says they use logos of real organizations and have contributors pay through legitimate online payment services to fool their victims.
To avoid these scams, the FBI says consumers should avoid responding to unsolicited emails. They should also:
• Be skeptical of individuals representating themselves as officials soliciting donations via email;
• Never click on links in an unsolicited email;
• Open attachments only from a known sender;
• Check the validity of the organization by directly accessing the known charity's Website, looking up the address through a search engine.
The FBI says similar scams surfaced following other recent tragedies, such as 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, and the shootings at Virginia Tech. Criminals increasingly use such events to prey upon the sympathy of individuals.
