Down and Dirty Scams
By: Barbara Basler; Source: AARP Bulletin Date Posted: 2005-10-11 10:56:00-04:00
The e-mail came with a heartbreaking picture of a forlorn little girl who had lost her parents in the Katrina disaster. Won't you, it asked, send money to help me support her?
"It was just a down-and-dirty scam," says Sally Hurme, an attorney with AARP's consumer protection office. "There was no little girl, no man supporting her—nothing."
Thousands of con artists across the country are targeting the victims of Hurricane Katrina and those who want to help them, federal officials say. They are soliciting donations door to door and on the phone, but Hurme says that "by far the worst scams are on the Web."
The U.S. Justice Department has set up a task force to deal with the scams, which include phony charities that steal donors' contributions and financial information for identity theft schemes.
Officials advise the public not to reply to e-mail solicitations but to make donations on a charity's website. For a list of reputable organizations, go to www.FirstGov.gov and click on "How You Can Help."
"The message is to give, but know exactly who you are giving to," Hurme says.
For more on these and other types of scams, go to www.aarp.org/katrina.
Listen to Online Katrina Scams.
Additional Related Links
How to Develop a Disaster Action Plan for Older, Distant, Relatives
Guide to Hurricane Relief Organizations
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