Tsunami charity scams
From Mary Snow
CNN
NEW YORK (CNN) -- At a time of unprecedented giving, the FBI warns that Internet scams are emerging.
The bureau warns against offers to locate tsunami victims for a fee and e-mails seeking donations like this "urgent appeal" that reads:
"We are all aware the Disaster caused by the tsunami ... the death toll is increasing day by day ... and victims were in need of URGENT help ... "
The relief agency Oxfam alerted officials about the bogus letter since Oxfam was mentioned in it and has nothing to do with it.
Suspicious charities also are being investigated in Connecticut.
"They look like or sound like charitable organizations -- America Cares instead of Americares, or Connectcares -- there is no such organization. We're investigating a variety of schemes that should give people very strong cause for concern," says Richard Blumenthal, Connecticut's attorney general.
Authorities and private groups also warn about a well-known relief scam coming out of Nigeria.
"Unfortunately, we have an Indonesian version of that scam so if anybody gets an email asking for your bank account information so they can transfer money to your account and let you keep a percentage of it, you should realize this is ridiculous," says Daniel Borokoff of the American Institute of Philanthropy.
It's estimated that private donations in the United States have topped $200 million for tsunami victims. Experts warn the spirit of giving can become a breeding ground for fraud.
"When American generosity is at its highest, we are also most vulnerable to scam artists," says Art Taylor of the Better Business Bureau.
To avoid having money go to scam artists, you can research the charity on charitywatch.org, give.org or the government's site, www.freedomcorps.gov
Experts advise potential donors to go directly to a charity's Web site.
If donating online, they say be sure to double check the URL since phony Web sites can easily be created.
Charities say they don't send out unsolicited mail, so be wary of e-mail appeals. And, the FBI warns that attachments on these e-mails are likely to be carrying a computer virus.
