Federal fraud investigators are warning Connecticut consumers and others to be alert to scam artists seeking to use the Hurricane Sandy disaster as leverage to pry money out of them.
The Department of Justice, the FBI and the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) say suspected fraudulent activity pertaining to relief efforts associated with Sandy should be reported to the toll-free NCDF hotline at 866-720-5721, fax at (225) 334-4707 or email at disaster@leo.gov.
The hotline is staffed by a live operator 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also report suspicious e-mail solicitations or fraudulent websites to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov
Before making a donation of any kind, consumers should adhere to certain guidelines, including the following:
• Do not respond to any unsolicited (spam) incoming emails, including by clicking links contained within those messages, because they may contain computer viruses.
• Be cautious of individuals representing themselves as victims or officials asking for donations via email or social networking sites.
• Beware of organizations with copycat names similar to but not exactly the same as those of reputable charities.
• Rather than following a purported link to a website, verify the existence and legitimacy of non-profit organizations by using Internet-based resources.
• Be cautious of emails that claim to show pictures of the disaster areas in attached files, because those files may contain viruses. Only open attachments from known senders.
• To ensure that contributions are received and used for intended purposes, make donations directly to known organizations rather than relying on others to make the donation on your behalf.
• Do not be pressured into making contributions; reputable charities do not use coercive tactics.
• 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.
• Avoid cash donations if possible. Pay by debit or credit card, or write a check directly to the charity. Do not make checks payable to individuals.
• Legitimate charities do not normally solicit donations via money transfer services.
• Most legitimate charities maintain websites ending in .org rather than .com.