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Charitable Internet Scams In Wake Of Katrina
John Stith
Staff Writer
2005-09-13
 Insider Reports RSS Feed
Many call Hurricane Katrina one of the greatest disasters, natural or otherwise, in the history of the United States. Unfortunately, in any disaster, a few unique and special people come along to take advantage of people's good nature and scam them.
 | | Watch Out For Katrina-related Internet Scams |  |
Editor's Note: Hurricane Katrina was a devastating disaster for our entire nation, however, some in our own Internet community want to demean both the Internet and the charitable work being done on behalf of the victims. Please contribute your thoughts on our own Security Forum at WebProWorld
While some might suggest these scammers need to drink some of the toxic sludge being pumped out of New Orleans, unsuspecting people need to be aware and protect themselves against these criminals.
It's making a horrible situation worse and the FBI has already begun investigating the issue but the problem is still there. Web sites are being set up not only to pose as online charities but phony emails are being distributed along with the worms and viruses they carry.
An alert issued last week by the National Cyber Security Alliance covers some important points that all online users need to be aware of and guard against. They provide a number of tips:
--Do not respond to any unsolicited SPAM/incoming e-mails about the Hurricane
-- Be skeptical of individuals claiming to be surviving victims asking for money to be placed in bank accounts
-- To ensure that contributions to U.S.-based non-profit organizations are used for intended purposes, go directly to the Web sites of recognized charities and aid organizations, as opposed to following a link to another site
-- Verify the legitimacy of non-profit organizations by consulting trusted Internet-based resources (such as the Network for Good and the Federal Emergency Management Agency) which may assist in confirming the existence of the organization as well as its non-profit status
-- Don't open e-mail attachments that claim to contain pictures of disaster areas, as the files may contain viruses. Only open attachments from known senders.
Everyday, one probably gets garbage emails from the illegitimate child of some deposed third world dictator who was eaten by sharks when his plane went down in the artic circle. They're asking you to provide certain relevant information so they can pay you huge sums of money to help them secure they're Bank of Eurasianorthamerifrican winning lottery ticket worth one billion rupis.
Now, you'll receive emails from organizations that might sound legitimate, based in Biloxi, Mississippi and claiming to be setting up accounts to help provide relief for people who lost their homes or loved ones. One might even receive an email from Madame LeVeaux suggesting one needs to donate while at the same time slipping you a nice little worm to terrorize your computer.
Malware, phishing scams, worms and viruses; all these items are out there everyday, looking for the unsuspecting pc user. Certainly there's plenty out there to protect oneself but these out there now in that they take advantage of a tragedy of national proportions. There have been arrests of people setting up operations in parking lots and other places, claiming affiliation with a local church or some other organization. These internet scammers will be tougher to catch though because they could be anywhere.
For those who are interested in donating to help the cause, there are plenty of respected, good standing charitable organizations, both secular and religious in nature that will be happy to help you in assisting the relief effort. If you receive any emails or other solicitations to requesting donations, do a little research. If you think it might be fraudulent, contact the Internet Fraud Complaint Center. The folks on the Gulf Coast need all the help we can offer but they don't need this kind of help.
Want to take up a collection for jugs of NOLA sludge water to send to charity scammers? Start it at WebProWorld
About the Author:
John is a staff writer for SecurityProNews covering cyber security.
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