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Fraudulent Charities
You might have seen media coverage of charity scams following the tsunami and Hurricane Katrina disasters. Many of us respond to such disasters with a desire to help the people we see suffering, which we often do through generous financial support. While the Internet has made giving much more convenient for contributors and legitimate charities, it has also made it easier for thieves to exploit our compassion.
Fraudulent charities are hardly new, but the Internet has made them much more prolific, especially during times of crisis. After the tsunami, for instance, the first scammer arrested by the FBI was charged with sending 800,000 phony emails requesting donations.2 These charity scams rob honest charities and disaster victims of desperately needed resources and undermine our collective will to give. This portion of the CyberStreetSmart.org Web site will help you avoid them by teaching you to spot charity scams in action, helping you to research new charities you encounter, and pointing you toward resources to aid in your inquiries.
If you've been the victim of a charity scam, visit our Report Online Scams and Frauds page.
- Gerri Willis, CNNmoney.com, “Charity Scams: 5 tips – How to Make Sure You’re Really Giving to Charity” September 12, 2005
- Pete Williams, NBC News, MSNBC.com, "FBI Busts Man in Tsunami Aid Scam" January 13, 2005