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Avoiding Hurricane Aid Victim Scams

Unfortunately, some will try to take advantage of generosity.  Some rules to remember are highlighted in an article:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20050906/ts_nm/scams_dc_5

Private donors should avoid giving personal data such as social security numbers, dates of birth and bank account information to any organization that says it is seeking disaster aid, and should make sure they are giving money to a legitimate organization, officials said.

Some scam artists seek funds by adopting names that are similar to those of well-known organizations, such as "Red Shield" instead of Red Cross. Others attempt to win the confidence of the donor by thanking them for past donations.

"Be skeptical if someone thanks you for a pledge you don't remember making," said Oriey Glenn of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which is on the lookout for such scams.

Officials said the public should give directly to well-known organizations such as the Red Cross, rather than to an intermediary that might claim a "processing fee" to forward the donation. They also warned against organizations seeking a fee to help locate a family member caught up in the disaster.

Avoid giving to Web sites whose addresses end in ".com" since most nonprofit organizations use ."org," and beware of emails soliciting donations, since legitimate charitable groups typically avoid that approach.

posted by Matthew O. Smith @ 1:48 PM