Haitian Earthquake Relief Fraud Alert

Washington, D.C. – The FBI today reminds Internet

users who receive appeals to donate money in the aftermath of Tuesday's earthquake

in Haiti to apply a critical eye and do their due diligence before responding to

those requests. Past tragedies and natural disasters have prompted individuals with

criminal intent to solicit contributions purportedly for a charitable organization

and/or a good cause.

Therefore, before making a donation of any kind, consumers should adhere to certain

guidelines, to include the following:

Do not respond to any unsolicited (SPAM) incoming emails, including clicking links

contained within those messages.

Be skeptical of individuals representing themselves as surviving victims or officials

asking for donations via e-mail or social networking sites.

Verify the legitimacy of nonprofit organizations by utilizing various Internet-based

resources that may assist in confirming the group's existence and its nonprofit

status rather than following a purported link to the site.

Be cautious of e-mails that claim to show pictures of the disaster areas in attached

files because the files may contain viruses. Only open attachments from know senders.

Make contributions directly to known organizations rather than relying on others

to make the donation on your behalf to ensure contributions are received and used

for intended purposes.

Do not give your personal or financial information to anyone who solicits contributions:

Providing such information may compromise your identity and make you vulnerable

to identity theft.

Anyone who has received an e-mail referencing the above information or anyone who

may have been a victim of this or a similar incident should notify the IC3 via www.ic3.gov.