In the wake of the devastating earthquake in Haiti, people from all over the world have been moved to donate money to relief organizations. Unfortunately, scammers have already begun to take advantage of people’s goodwill. If you plan to donate online, beware of scams and hoaxes.
Tips on how to avoid a donation scam:
1. Use trusted donation Web sites, such as The Red Cross.
2. Do not click links in donation e-mail messages. Type the Web address directly into your browser instead.
3. Before you donate money online, make sure the site is secure. The Web address should begin with https. The s stands for secure.
4. Watch out for scams in e-mail messages, on social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, and even in Web site search results.
For more information, see How to avoid online donation scams.