Disaster Aid Scams are constantly used by enterprising crooks to make themselves and their key employees extremely wealthy. I’ve worked for telemarketing companies who have scammed and skimmed millions from the bank accounts and credit cards of people in need.
What’s considered a disaster? The dictionary defines a disaster as a catastrophic event causing great loss of life, damage, hardship and business failure. The earthquake in Haiti and hurricane Katrina in New Orleans are the more publicized disasters affecting large amounts of people at one time and open the door for disaster aid scams to operate.
After the Asian tsunami in 2004, the FBI investigated 170 websites that preyed on well-meaning donors by mimicking the websites of well-known charities, and officials say the same has happened in the aftermath of Haiti’s earthquake. I can tell you from my experience as a jewel thief, the officials are correct. People believe what they see and hear, as long as it looks good. That fact helped me gain entrance to many of my biggest scores!
However, the word disaster means different things. If your child needs heart surgery to continue living and you’re poor without health insurance, that’s your very real disaster. There are marketing companies who will promise to provide health insurance that will enable the child to get the “chance” for a $300,000 life-saving surgery for a small monthly fee of $99.00. This offer is good for today only and must be accompanied by a one-time processing fee of $199.00. So for the total cost today of $298.00, your child gets the “chance.”
The parents of this dying child who used their disability check to pay the $298.00 fee for that “chance” at life-saving surgery have just stepped into the abyss. They’re overlooking the key word “chance” mentioned 3 times in the marketing company’s sales pitch and of course the chance will never come.
My point is this: a disaster aid scam can happen to a large group of people at one specific time or to one person at a time, but the devastation can happen to both groups.
Here are my best tips for avoiding these scams:
- Avoid giving personal data such as social security numbers, dates of birth, and bank account information to any organization seeking donations.
- Be sure you’re giving directly to well-known organizations, such as “Feed the Children” or “The Red Cross.”
- Beware if someone thanks you for a previous donation that you did not make, or tries to collect a pledge you did not make.
- Avoid organizations that offer to forward your donation for a “processing fee.”
- Look out for organizations that want a fee to help locate a family member displaced or lost in the disaster.
- Check and see if the website address ends in .com instead of .org. Most charitable organizations sites have a .org address.
- Natural disasters, such as the Haitian earthquake and illness, can bring out the best in people but, unfortunately, can also bring out the worst, including those who would scam people wanting to donate to help victims.
I thank and respect all the good people who care enough to help others anyway they can!
Stay Safe.
