The aftermath of Hurricanes Milton and Helene is affecting millions of Americans. Many want to give but also want to be smart as scammers are moving in trying to get your money. There are ways you can protect yourself and still help those in need.
The National Center for Disaster Fraud was established in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina. Paul Pugliese, Associate Executive Director of the agency said it consists of a team of federal, state, and local law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and others who are experienced in conducting disaster fraud investigations.
“Since it came into creation in late 2005, we’ve received over 320,000 complaints,” explained Pugliese.
With recent major hurricanes Helene and Milton, across the country, Americans are seeing the images of devastation and hearing the stories of survival. They also recognize those affected will need help to rebuild their lives.
“We see fellow citizens suffering and we’re not there to help so many of us want to make donations,” said Pugliese.
When you donate, you want to make sure your money goes to the right people. Pugliese warns us to beware, scammers will often create fake charities to ask for donations.
Artificial Intelligence can make it difficult to identify legit websites, texts, emails, and even on social media. “It’s easy to [pretty] almost clone a charity’s website,” said Pugliese.
“When natural disasters strike the first type of scam that hits are charity fraud,” said Pugliese. He adds if you’re not sure if a charity is legit, the Federal Trade Commission can help you find legit charities. “They have links to charity watchdogs you can go there and make sure you’re getting to right place.”
Stay alert for phishing attacks, that’s when a scammer may send an email or text with a link that if clicked can download a virus to your phone or computer, or possibly steal your personal information.
A donation that doesn’t go to the people who are in need could hinder a person from donating again in the future, and that’s not good for any of us. Here are a few tips to stay ahead of the scammers:
Donate to trusted charities. Verify the phone number of the charity, and call and speak with a representative.
Don’t rely on others to make a donation on your behalf.
Never share your personal information. Verify you are dealing with a legitimate business.
Don’t respond to any unknown unsolicited texts or calls asking for donations.
Don’t click on any links in texts and emails from unknown unsolicited senders.
Avoid cash donations. Use credit cards for more fraud protection.
When writing a check, make it out directly to the charity. Don’t make checks payable to individuals.
Be cautious of emails that claim to show pictures of disaster areas in attached files. Those files may contain viruses, and once you open it could harm your computer.
Pugliese said next to charity fraud, scammers prey on the victims of natural disasters. Be skeptical of anyone who comes to you asking for a donation or offering to help unsolicited. “Charities, federal agencies, insurance representatives, they’re definitely not going to contact you in person unsolicited and start asking for cash to do what they’re supposed to do,” said Pugliese.
If are approached with any type of natural disaster scam, report it to the NCDF.
“We’ve already started seeing an uptick early which is an indicator it’s going to get worse,” said Pugliese.
The National Center for Disaster Fraud hotline number is 866-720-5721. You can fill out a complaint form online.
