Scams target tsunami donors

  • Published
  • By Capt. Sondra Bell
  • 22nd Air Refueling Wing Legal Office
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan (AFPN) --  The tsunamis that hit South Asia are being hailed as the worst natural disaster in this century.

With death tolls topping 200,000 and countless people injured, our brethren in Asia are in need of relief -- shelter, food, clothing and other necessities. Americans opening their purse strings to support the effort should beware of crooks preying on well-intentioned donors. Crooks, posing as new-formed charities to help tsunami victims, are targeting potential donors by e-mail and the Internet.

Fraudulent e-mails seeking financial support for tsunami victims are surfacing in one of two forms. Individuals from phony, foreign organizations are sending e-mails seeking money to support relief efforts, and crooks are posing as victims’ financial institutions seeking to collect donations for relief efforts. In this form of identity theft, known as “phishing,” hackers request victims’ credit card numbers and other personal information.

Over the Internet, fraudulent charities are creating Web sites and selling items through online auctions, stating that proceeds will aid victims in Asia. Many inexpensive domain names are for sale online. It is easy for a scam artist to purchase a domain name and assume the role of a charity.

These newly created charities make it easy to give a donation. Visitors to fraudulent Web addresses are often asked to send care packages and money to addresses with the promise that the care packages will reach tsunami victims.

While it is impossible to tell which of these newly formed charities will use donations to aid tsunami victims, adhering to the following guidelines will help ensure that donations go to help relief efforts.

-- Ask for the name of the charity, and verify that charity officials authorized the solicitation. Find out more by contacting the Better Business Bureau.

-- Be wary of newly created organizations. They do not have a proven track record.

-- Ask what percentage of the donation will directly aid tsunami victims.

-- Do not give out financial information such as social security, credit card and bank account numbers.

-- Do not give cash. For security and tax record purposes, it is best to pay by check made payable to the beneficiary, not the solicitor.

-- Ask for a receipt showing the amount of the contribution and stating that it is tax-deductible.

-- Find out more about fraudulent charity schemes online at www.ftc.gov.

The federal government has taken measures to crack down on charity fraud since Sept. 11, 2001, passing the Patriot Act. But crooks are busy creating new, more advanced schemes to swindle well-intentioned donors. So beware that not every organization that professes to aid tsunami victims does. And while most charities do what they promise, using the guidelines outlined above will help ensure donations make it those who need them.