Online fraudsters seem to be always on the ready to grab an opportunity to make money out of a scam, and this time it is the Haiti earthquake of 12 January 2010 that has caught their attention.
The US Computer Emergency Readiness Team has already issued a warning to people who want to help the Haitians, of email scams and search engine poisoning campaigns that will direct users to phishing sites. The only way to avoid this happening is to keep the anti virus software up to date, say experts.
The FBI too has issued a statement to the public in general to watch out for emails that appeal to them for money and other forms of aid for the Haitian victims. The public must be wary and apply due diligence before responding to such requests, and to keep these guidelines in mind:
• Never respond to spam emails soliciting money.
• Stay wary of people claiming to be officials, and asking for donations.
• Confirm the authenticity of non-profit organizations by checking them out with external links rather than clicking on the link provided within the email.
• Make all contributions and donations directly instead of offering them to strangers to do it on your behalf.
• Never give away any financial information to strangers soliciting it for the purpose of donations.
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