In the wake of the tragedy in Haiti las week, we have seen a very generous outpouring of charitable donations going to support the victims in Haiti. But unfortunately, many cyber-criminals are using this as an opportunity to run scams and collect donations for bogus charities.
Here are some tips you can take to make sure your donation goes to help the victims in Haiti:
1 – Do your research
Make sure you research the organization you to which you plan to give. Look for organizations that have been around awhile and have experience in disaster relief or organizations that have a longstanding presence in Haiti. Guidestar.org, give.org and charitynavigator.org are several sites that can provide you with information on reputable charities.
2 – Give directly from the Organizations Website
Cyber criminals can set up sites that look like reputable organizations, but are in fact scam sites. Don’t click on links in emails suggesting you give unless it is from an organization that regularly sends you emails. The safest way to give online is to go directly to the organization’s website and give from that page.
3 – Make Sure you are protected online.
Take steps to make sure you are protected online. Make sure you have anti-virus software that is receiving daily updates. Also make sure you have the latest versions of the internet brower you are using, your software is up-to-date and that you have installed all patches.
Giving money online is a fast and efficient way to help the victims in Haiti. But make sure you are taking steps to ensure your donations goes to help those in need.
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