The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s website is a valuable resource. It has a lot of information about many different types of identity theft that we at myID.com want to share with our readers. Once a month, we’ll highlight a news announcement, article, alert, or other item from the FBI website about identity theft so you can learn more about how this crime is perpetrated.

With Hurricane Irene in the news, it’s important to look back at scams that have arisen from natural disasters so you can arm yourself against new ones.

http://www.fbi.gov/news/katrina/hurricane-katrina#charity_spoof

Charitable Phishing, Spoofing Alerts

Fake Charity Websites, E-Mails

The FBI is seeing an influx of websites soliciting for charitable donations to aid the victims of the latest natural disaster, Hurricane Katrina. Consistent with previous guidance on incidents of phishing/spoofing and identity theft, when considering online options for providing funding to this relief effort, consumers should consider the following:

•Do not respond to any unsolicited (SPAM) incoming e-mails.
•To ensure contributions to U.S. based non-profit organizations are used for intended purposes, go directly to recognized charities and aid organization’s websites, as opposed to following a link to another site.
•Attempt to verify the legitimacy of non-profit organizations by utilizing various Internet-based resources which may assist in confirming the existence of the organization, as well as its non-profit status.
•Be leery of e-mails claiming to show pictures of the disaster areas in attached files, as the files may contain viruses. Only open attachments from known senders.
Several variations of this scam are currently in circulation. Be aware, scammers will attempt to capitalize on the popularity of the relief efforts along the Gulf coast. If you have received a fraud, or similar e-mail, please file a complaint at www.ic3.gov.

Fake Spam E-Mail Allegedly Seeking Donations for the Red Cross

The FBI has become aware of a spam e-mail soliciting $5 donations that purports to be coming from support2@redcross.org, with the subject line of “American Redcross Help Needed! Katrina relief.” The e-mail provides a link to click and enter credit/debit card information for the $5 contribution. The link appears to go to the RedCross.org website. However, the link actually sends one to a non-affiliated collection site. THIS E-MAIL IS A HOAX. DO NOT FOLLOW THE PROVIDED LINK. Be cautious when responding to requests or special offers delivered through unsolicited e-mail:

•Guard your account information carefully.
•Keep a list of all you credit cards and account information along with the card issuer’s contact information. If your monthly statement looks suspicious or you lose your card(s) contact the issuer immediately.
•To ensure contributions to U.S. based non-profit organizations are received and used for intended purposes, go directly to recognized charities and aid organizations’ websites, as opposed to following links provided in e-mails.

If you have received this, or a similar hoax, please file a complaint at http://www.ic3.gov/.

Related posts:

1. Top Ten Red Flags for Online Scams or Frauds