FBI warns of Email Scams Seeking Donations for Chinese Quake Victims

The FBI is requesting everyone be wary of bogus emails asking for donations to help victims of the recent devastating earthquake in China.

Emails like this begin to circulate after every major disaster in an attempt to capitalize on our sympathies and desire to reach out and help those in need. We've seen emails of this kind following 9/11, major hurricanes, cyclones, tsunamis, floods and many other tragedies.

The emails often claim to be soliciting donations for well known charitable organizations. Sometimes they'll use logos and other graphics to help them appear legitimate. The craftiest scams can look like the real thing to the unwary. The FBI reports that some of the Chinese earthquake email scams are even offering free vacations to the largest donors. That may sound wonderful, but why would a legitimate charity divert much needed funds in such a way? The FBI's press release also includes some helpful tips to detect email scams of this kind.

Everyone should consider the following email tips:

• Never reply to email that was unsolicited (AKA SPAM)
• Ignore links within email that was unsolicited, never click on them
• Be careful of people who represent themselves as officials while at the same time are soliciting for donations using email.
• Only open attached files in email messages sent by people you know. Sometimes attached files described as pictures can contain computer viruses.
• Don't rely on other people to make donations on your behalf. Always send help directly to well known aid organizations.
• If you want to research an aid organization or other charity, type their name into a web search engine to access their website directly, rather than clicking on a link in email.
• Visit the IRS website at http://www.irs.gov/charities/article/0,,id=96136,00.html for links to lists of all the tax exempt charities registered in the United States. You can also give the IRS a call (toll free) at 1-877-829-5500 to confirm an organization's tax exempt status.
• Never provide personal or financial information to anyone who solicits contributions over the phone, in letters, in email or by visiting your home. Contact the organizations yourself as giving out that type of information could compromise your identity and expose you to identity theft.

In an FBI press release, dated May 20, 2008; Special Agent Richard Kolko is quoted "Scammers and criminals come forward after many of these tragic events and you should be wary of unsolicited requests for money. People should feel free to make donations, just make sure you know who you are dealing with and where the donations are going. This way you can make sure your money really makes a difference and helps out a needy person, not a greedy criminal."

Read the press release here:

Scam E-Mails Seek Donations to Help Chinese Earthquake Victims

Where to go for the latest information about cyber crimes

The following information was taken directly from the May 20, 2008 FBI press release referenced in the link above:

To receive the latest information about cyber scams please go to the FBI website and sign up for e-mail alerts by clicking on one of the red envelopes. If you have received a scam e-mail please notify the IC3 by filing a complaint at www.ic3.gov. For more information on e-scams, please visit the FBI's New E-Scams and Warnings webpage.

More Helpful FBI Email Scams Links

New E-Scams and Warnings
The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)