Tragedies, whether they be man-made like the terrorist attacks of 9/11 or natural disasters such as last year's tsunami or the more recent impact of Hurricane Katrina, tend to bring out the best in people. People volunteer their money, their time, their homes and anything else they can think of to help out those in need.
Unfortunately, these same tragedies also bring out the worst in people for that minority of the population that is looking for ways to capitalize on the tragedy to scam you out of your money and make a fast buck or just to wreak havoc for the sake of wreaking havoc. In your zeal to help in some way, it is important that you remain cautious so that you don't become a victim of a Hurricane Katrina scam.
It is also sad that the very tools that make helping so much simpler, efficient and more convenient- namely the Internet and the World Wide Web- also make it that much easier and more convenient for scammers to set up shop. Here are some key threats or scams that you should watch out for:
Beware Katrina Scams
- Email Chain Letter Hoaxes: I have written in the past about the problem of chain letter and email hoaxes. These threats don't compromise your computer or steal your identity, but email hoaxes such as this one, targeting interest in Hurricane Katrina, clutter up email inboxes and waste people's time.
- Phishing Scams: You might receive emails requesting donations and financial assistance for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. They may even appear to be from reputable sources such as the American Red Cross itself. However, many, if not all, such requests are actually spoofed and will redirect you to a malicious website or simply serve to steal your identity or rob you of your money without any benefit to the hurricane victims. If you wish to donate, it is best if you initiate contact with a reputable organization on your own, whether via phone, the Web, or in person, rather than ever responding to an email request or clicking on a Web link from within such an email message.
- Viruses, Worms and Other Malware: Some spam that hits your inbox contains phishing scams or chain letter hoaxes, and some contain more direct threats such as viruses, worms or trojans. Hurricane Katrina is being used in email messages to spread malware including a message going around which downloads various Trojans that can allow an attacker to gain complete control of your computer system.
These are just a small sample of the threats capitalizing on the destruction wrought by Hurricane Katrina. There are also messages claiming to help you make tons of money on investments as a result of the Hurricane and other messages using Hurricane Katrina subject lines or message bodies to push completely unrelated products or services.
A simple rule of thumb would be to simply ignore any and all email messages you receive that claim to be related to or somehow help the victims of the hurricane tragedy. By all means, if you have time, money or other resources to contribute, please do. But, do so by contacting a government agency or known, reputable charitable organization and not by responding to an unsolicited email of any sort.
