The FBI is alerting the public to a variety of online scams involving the solicitation of relief funds for the victims of the recent tsunami disaster. The FBI, through the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), has received reports of Web sites being established purportedly to assist with collection and relief efforts.
Complaints submitted to the IC3 have identified several schemes that involve both unsolicited incoming emails (SPAM) and assistance in locating loved ones who may have been a victim of the disaster for a fee. A fraudulent relief donation Web site has also been detected, which can infect the user’s computer with a virus if accessed.
The IC3 is cautioning citizens against participating in this type of online correspondence. Consistent with previous guidance on incidents of phishing/spoofing and identity theft, University Police recommends you follow this advice when considering online options for providing funding to this relief effort:
* Do not respond to any unsolicited incoming e-mails (SPAM).
* Be skeptical of individuals claiming to be surviving victims or foreign government officials asking for help in placing large sums of money in overseas bank accounts.
* To ensure that contributions to U.S.-based non-profit organizations are used for intended purposes, go directly to recognized charity and aid organization Web sites, as opposed to following a link to another site.
* Attempt to verify the legitimacy of non-profit organizations by utilizing various Internet-based resources which may assist in confirming the existence of the organization, as well as its non-profit status.
* Be leery of e-mails that claim to show pictures of the disaster areas in attached files, as the files may contain viruses. Only open attachments from known senders.
Anyone who has received an e-mail referencing the above information or anyone who may have been a victim of this or a similar incident should notify the IC3 via its Web site: {http://www.ic3.gov}.
Any further inquiries can be directed to:
Detective George Morgan, Jr.
Towson University Police
Community Crime Reduction Unit
410-704-3403
