Following natural disasters and severe weather, there is a higher chance of fraudulent activities as scammers prey on vulnerable individuals or those who wish to donate to charity. Scammers use various methods, including phone calls, text messages, mail, emails, and door-to-door visits, to exploit affected areas after hurricanes and damaging storms. Therefore, CISA (Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency) recommends that people remain alert to disaster-related scams.
Types of Disaster-related Scams
Fraudsters have many methods to convince victims to donate money or go to their malicious sites. Aside from money, crooks aim at collecting personally identifiable information (PII) and credentials. Here are some of the methods they can use:
Social Media Phishing
Scammers often use social networking platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn to extort money for charitable purposes. You will have seen similar posts on Instagram about raising funds for the victims of the storm or helping relatives of victims. Fraudsters can create fake profiles and use the names of charities or government organizations to make their communications more legitimate. You should be careful and check the validity of such announcements.
Email Phishing
Email phishing is deceptive and pretends to be genuine promotional or personal emails. They often request you click links leading to phishing sites or download attached files. These emails may appear so genuine that even an experienced user can be tricked into believing they are authentic. Occasionally, these emails contain infected attachments or links to phishing sites disguised as text. However, as many email systems now scan for viruses in attachments, this type of phishing is rare.
Vishing
Vishing is a scam in which fraudsters use voice communication (phone calls) to deceive people. One common tactic is when fraudsters pretend to be victims of a disaster or federal officials, claiming that they raise money for disaster victims. For example, they may ask you to transfer money to a bank account. They can also call from hidden numbers, which should be noticed, and do not fall for their tricks.
Beware of contractors and home improvement companies calling and saying they are partners with your insurance provider. Do not disclose your policy numbers, coverage details, or personal information to any company you have not contracted with. To ensure that the contractor you are thinking of hiring possesses a legitimate license and sufficient insurance, it is recommended to consult your state’s online database to determine if licensing is mandatory. By checking your state’s online database, you can verify the validity of the contractor’s license and assess whether they possess adequate insurance coverage.
How to Protect Yourself from Disaster-related Scams
The methods of the scammers may seem daunting, but in fact, they are only well-developed schemes of deception. This means that users can avoid all this. Consumers must remain vigilant against fraudsters who disguise themselves as charities demanding donations for disaster relief. However, do not trust everything you see in the information world. To protect yourself from these types of fraud, consider taking the following measures:
Donate to Trusted Charities
Be cautious of individuals or groups who engage in fraudulent activities by establishing counterfeit charitable organizations during natural disasters. To ensure a charity is legitimate, visiting its official website is crucial. If you have doubts, you can seek verification from reputable sources such as the Charity Navigator, Better Business, Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance, Charity Watch, or GuideStar. Additionally, you can inquire with the National Association of State Charity Officials to determine whether charities are needed to register in your state and if the charity contacting you is listed in their records.
Confirm all Phone numbers for Charities
Suppose you plan to contact a charity via phone. Verifying the number’s legitimacy is best by checking its official website. Similarly, if you intend to donate through text-to-donate, verifying the number’s authenticity with the charity before making any donations is necessary.
Beware of Suspicious Emails
If you receive a suspicious email and request donations or assistance, it is essential not to open links or download attachments. Scammers frequently use email to conduct phishing attacks or distribute malware. Therefore, exercise caution and refrain from engaging with such emails to avoid potential risks.
Confirm all Information in Social Media Posts
It’s essential to verify any requests for charitable donations before donating. While crowd-funding websites may have individual requests for assistance, they may only sometimes be reviewed by the website or other sources.
Important!
Be aware that officials from government disaster assistance agencies do not call or text to ask for financial account information, and there is no need to pay to apply for or receive disaster assistance from FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) or the Small Business Administration. Anyone claiming to be a federal official and asking for money is an imposter.
