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29 August 2005  Chatmag News.
Beware Hurricane Katrina Related Scams.

Hurricane Katrina is currently in central Mississippi, and moving slowly north.  Hurricanes bring out the best in people, and the worst in scams.

Unlicensed Home Repair Contractors.

In Florida, unlicensed contractors preyed on victims of last year's hurricanes.  Florida became proactive in enforcing the license laws, and several people have been indicted for scamming homeowners. There will be people soliciting home repairs after Katrina.  Before signing anything, or having work started, check the credentials of any contractor. Please see the Related Links for detailed information from FEMA regarding contractors.

Email Solicitations.

There are several emails circulating, requesting monetary donations for Hurricane Katrina victims relief. Rarely will a legitimate relief organization solicit funds by email. If a person is on an organization's email list, they may receive a solicitation. It is advised to verify whether the email is from a reputable organization, or a scam.  Should the email contain a link to a web site, verify that the link actually goes to the organization web site. Any URL containing numbers rather than letters should be treated as a scam, as an example: http://64.233.161.99/ (Google.com).

Other unsolicited emails may come from individuals claiming to be victims of Hurricane Katrina.  Do not answer or acknowledge any email from anyone you do not know.

Fake Relief Organization Web Sites.

Often linked in scam emails, fake web sites have been set up to solicit donations for Hurricane Katrina relief.  Most can be easily spotted by examining the URL. The URL may consist of numbers, followed by a long string of characters.  Or, the URL may imitate a legitimate organization, such as www.red-cross-org.org (a fake URL).

Do not become a victim, verify any unsolicited request for funds. Forward any suspicious emails to: Spam@uce.gov

Links to legitimate organizations can be found in Google, or in our Related Links.

-Chatmag News Staff--

Related External Links:

Chatmag's Hurricane Katrina Discussion Forum.

American Red Cross. Or Call 1-800-Help Now

FTC.  Spam email information.

FEMA Press Release: Use Care When Hiring Contractors.

Mennonite Disaster Service. Assists in rebuilding homes in disaster areas.