Our hearts go out to the people of Haiti in the wake of their earthquake disaster. We want to be sure that our generous impulses benefit them by being channeled through reputable organizations, and certainly don’t line the pockets of scammers or spammers. Here are some tips about what to do and what to avoid.
Where to Turn
President Obama has recommended that Americans:
* Donate to the American Red Cross.
* Learn more ways to help through the Center for International Disaster Information, a USAID-funded agency. For a CIDI-authorized list of over 70 legitimate organizations funneling aid, see InterAction.
How to Respond Without Becoming a Victim
Yourself
The FBI has issued a news release with great basic tips:
* Don’t respond to spam emails on the topic and do not click on any links in them.
* Think twice about those claiming to be survivors or officials asking for donations by email or social networking sites.
* Confirm the legitimacy of any nonprofit group before making a donation.
* Avoid clicking on email attachments that purport to be photos of the disaster area.
* Make contributions DIRECTLY to known organizations and avoid donating to those who claim to be collecting FOR that organization.
* Do not give personal or financial info to those asking for contributions.
What the Internet Safety Gurus Have to Say
At MLANS, keeping you safe from Internet risks is a top priority. As a Vipre antivirus software distributor, we follow the Sunbelt blog closely. Here are some authoritative sources about bad guys trying to take advantage of your generosity.
At the SANS Internet Storm Center, Joel Ensler said, “we are already seeing a bunch of domains being parked in relation to the Haiti disaster…” The US-Computer Emergency Readiness Team carried a piece on the search engine poisoning that can be expected: “Haitian Earthquake Disaster Email Scams and Search Engine Poisoning Campaigns”.
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The Sunbelt blog reports: The American Red Cross (short code 90999) has reported that as of Sunday they had collected $22 million via text-message donations for the victims of the Haiti earthquake. Totally, the organization collected $103 million at that point.
Cell phone users are able to make $10 donations by dialing the Red Cross’s short code 90999 and the contribution will be billed to their cell phone bill.
Given this high profile, you can be sure there will be a load of spam and other social-engineering mechanisms in the future aiming to tap this convenient new technology.
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