(Published in Brainstorm! November 2005)

Recently, Whole Brain Technologies launched HowCanIHelp.com, a Web site listing nonprofits and their activities related to specific issues. The first issue we chose to address on the site was hurricane relief. In researching the links listed on the site, we realized that there were many opportunities for fraud and scams.

Unfortunately there are always people more than willing to take advantage of an already bad situation. The hurricanes in the Gulf Coast region are no exception. Hurricane relief scams abound, according to top FBI cyber expert, Louis M. Reigel. Read Reigel's interview on the FBI's web site. http://www.fbi.gov/page2/sept05/katrinarelief091405.htm

Florida Attorney General Charlie Crist filed a civil lawsuit against a Florida man, Robert E. Moneyhan, for allegedly creating several Katrina-related websites, none of which was a legitimate charitable operation. Donations to such sites as katrinadonations.com, katrinarelief.com and katrinahelp.com were to be directed to Moneyhan's private Paypal account. Moneyhan did not file registration documents with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to solicit donations, as required by law. Ownership of these sites has been transferred to ProjectCare.com.

In Missouri, a much wider constellation of Internet sites -- parishdonations.com and katrinafamilies.com among others -- displayed pictures of the flood-ravaged South while driving traffic to a single site, internetdonations.org, a nonprofit entity with apparent links to anti-Semitic groups. The registrant of those Web sites has been sued by the state of Missouri for violating state fundraising laws. These sites have been taken down.

It's important to give generously, but give wisely.

In an effort to help prevent online exploitation of Hurricane Katrina and help ensure that donations get to the people in need, The National Cyber Security Alliance (NCSA), offers the following tips to help consumers avoid becoming a victim of an online relief scam or security attack.

• Do not respond to any unsolicited SPAM/incoming e-mails about the hurricane
• Be skeptical of individuals claiming to be surviving victims asking for money to be placed in bank accounts
• To ensure that contributions to U.S.-based non-profit organizations are used for intended purposes, go directly to the Web sites of recognized charities and aid organizations, as opposed to following a link to another site
• Verify the legitimacy of non-profit organizations by consulting trusted Internet-based resources (such as the Network for Good and the Federal Emergency Management Agency), which may assist in confirming the existence of the organization as well as its non-profit status
• Don't open e-mail attachments that claim to contain pictures of disaster areas, as the files may contain viruses. Only open attachments from known senders.

Here are some resources to help you research charities you are considering giving your hard-earned dollars to.

Better Business Bureau http://www.bbb.org/
GuideStar http://www.guidestar.org/
Give.org http://www.give.org/index.asp
Network for Good http://www.networkforgood.org/

More information about identity theft can be found at:
Federal Bureau of Investigation http://www.fbi.gov/
Federal Trade Commission http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/
Identity Theft Resource Center http://www.idtheftcenter.org/alerts.shtml
National Credit Union Administration http://www.ncua.gov/
National Fraud Information Center http://www.fraud.org/
Privacy Rights Clearinghouse http://www.privacyrights.org/identity.htm
U.S. Department of Justice http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/fraud/idtheft.html
Credit Union National Association http://www.creditunion.coop/scams.html

All the links that appear on HowCanIHelpNow.com were found at other legitimate web sites such as FEMA and Network for Good. Please be aware that we don't guarantee the authenticity of the organizations listed on the site, although we've tried to do some preliminary research. If you're interested in contributing to an organization you're unfamiliar with, we encourage you to check them out thoroughly.

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