Be wary of hurricane aid scams

By JAMES CLARK / Editor for the Southern Standard

Warren countians are known for their generosity and many are eager to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

While that’s a noble gesture, the state attorney general is warning all Tennesseans to be extremely careful when making donations.

Just like several fictitious organizations were created to swindle people out of money after the tsunami disaster, several Internet scams have already surfaced surrounding Hurricane Katrina. That’s why authorities across the nation are alerting people to fake Web sites purporting to be the Red Cross and other help agencies.

“These scam artists are soliciting donations via e-mail, pretending to be legitimate organizations and taking advantage of the generosity of Tennesseans in a time of crisis,” said Tennessee Attorney General Paul Summers. “The highly technical scam is committed by embedded links, which switch unsuspecting contributors to a rogue Web site, where thieves can intercept your credit card number and other sensitive information.”

In recent years, “phishers” as they are called, have been sending e-mails alleging to be from banks or other financial institutions to consumers to trick them into disclosing information such as account information, credit card numbers, Social Security numbers and other personal information.

The scam is surprisingly successful. Victims frequently have their bank accounts completely cleaned out and the transactions are nearly impossible to trace.

Summers offers the following suggestions to help consumers to determine if an e-mail is legitimate or a fake. Most of all, he said the best advice is to make a donation to an established and familiar organization that you approach. Be very skeptical of e-mails and phone calls where you are approached.

Other hints include: