G
General Veers
Guest
World
Home > Breaking News > World > Story
Jan 14, 2010
FBI warns of Haiti relief fraud
WASHINGTON - THE US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) warned potential donors of earthquake relief funds to Haiti on Wednesday to be on the lookout for fraud schemes. '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,' the FBI said. 'Past tragedies and natural disasters have prompted individuals with criminal intent to solicit contributions purportedly for a charitable organisation and/or a good cause.' Email users should not respond to or click on links in unsolicited messages and should make an effort to confirm the legitimacy of nonprofit organisations raising funds for Haiti, the FBI said. Potential donors should be cautious of emails that claim to show pictures of the disaster areas in attached files because the files may contain viruses, the FBI said.
'Do not give your personal or financial information to anyone who solicits contributions,' it added. 'Providing such information may compromise your identity and make you vulnerable to identity theft.' Microblogging service Twitter was deluged with messages on Wednesday on ways to 'Help Haiti,' which was one of the top 10 most popular topics on the site. They included sending money by text message to the American Red Cross and to Yele.org, a charity set up by Haitian-born hip-hop singer Wyclef Jean. The FBI warning came as the United States launched a massive military and civilian operation to aid Haiti amid fears the quake had left thousands dead. Teams of civilian and military experts dispatched by US President Barack Obama began landing in Haiti as US aircraft searched for survivors and tried to assess the damage from the massive 7.0 magnitude quake. -- AFP
Home > Breaking News > World > Story
Jan 14, 2010
FBI warns of Haiti relief fraud
WASHINGTON - THE US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) warned potential donors of earthquake relief funds to Haiti on Wednesday to be on the lookout for fraud schemes. '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,' the FBI said. 'Past tragedies and natural disasters have prompted individuals with criminal intent to solicit contributions purportedly for a charitable organisation and/or a good cause.' Email users should not respond to or click on links in unsolicited messages and should make an effort to confirm the legitimacy of nonprofit organisations raising funds for Haiti, the FBI said. Potential donors should be cautious of emails that claim to show pictures of the disaster areas in attached files because the files may contain viruses, the FBI said.
'Do not give your personal or financial information to anyone who solicits contributions,' it added. 'Providing such information may compromise your identity and make you vulnerable to identity theft.' Microblogging service Twitter was deluged with messages on Wednesday on ways to 'Help Haiti,' which was one of the top 10 most popular topics on the site. They included sending money by text message to the American Red Cross and to Yele.org, a charity set up by Haitian-born hip-hop singer Wyclef Jean. The FBI warning came as the United States launched a massive military and civilian operation to aid Haiti amid fears the quake had left thousands dead. Teams of civilian and military experts dispatched by US President Barack Obama began landing in Haiti as US aircraft searched for survivors and tried to assess the damage from the massive 7.0 magnitude quake. -- AFP
