A warning from the FBI’s Tampa office: Scammers use natural disasters to steal money, personal info or both. Know where your money is going.
TAMPA, Fla. – While Americans are opening their hearts and wallets to help victims of Hurricane Ian – which go toward providing food, shelter and care to those impacted by the devastating hurricane – fraudsters are playing on your emotions to swindle you.
In fact, the FBI’s Tampa office has tweeted a warning about “scammers trying to use a natural disaster like Hurricane Ian to steal your money, your personal information, or both.”
In some cases, Florida residents are approached by door-to-door solicitations by phony charities or property insurance scams, while others across the country are receiving cold calls, texts, emails, or messages over social media, asking donors to dig deep for Hurricane Ian victims.
Before you put a hand in your pocket, however, the bureau says it’s critical to do your due diligence to make sure it’s a legitimate charity – or the person approaching you is really part of any legitimate charity.
Warning signs of charity scams
While fraudsters target victims all year round, they often tie it to something timely for maximum impact, whether it’s phishing attempts during tax time, romance scams around Valentine’s Day, pandemic-related schemes, wars (as we saw with Ukraine aid-related scams this past spring), or following natural disasters.
To avoid falling victim to a scam, the FBI…
