Don't get duped when donating to disasters
When disasters happen, like the current devastation in Myanmar, many people are willing to open their hearts and their wallets.
But be forewarned that that's the time that fraudulent charities and con artists emerge and try to scam money from well-meaning Americans.
A Spotsylvania County woman learned this first- hand.
The woman, who wished to remain anonymous because she is currently looking for employment, was recently laid off from a job in accounting. In an attempt to find work quickly, she posted her resume on a popular online job board.
A representative from a company called Star Point contacted her about her online resume, claiming a desire to offer her a position as a financial coordinator for Star Point, which represents a conglomerate of auto parts dealers.
She was wary at first, turning down the first offer, but she later accepted another position as a regional coordinator who would help in the company's efforts to offer aid to the cyclone victims of Myanmar.
She was e-mailed a worker's agreement contract, and a man who claimed to be a representative of Star Point's Washington branch came to her home to pick up the signed copy and a voided check so she could receive her payment by direct deposit.
She was advised she would receive a check in the mail and a list of contacts from whom she could solicit funds for the relief efforts. After receiving a $4,180.57 check in the mail from Illinois, she was instructed by her new employer to deposit it and wire the money to Nigeria.
"It seemed viable, what they were saying," she said. "Since the Myanmar governement would not accept aid money from the U.S., they were using their resources to collect money."
The check turned out to be counterfeit and her bank account was overdrawn by thousands of dollars.
"I'm not normally an idiot," she said, "Just someone who was desperate and looking for a job."
First Sgt. Liz Scott of the Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Office said this woman's case isn't unique.
"Anytime there's a large disaster or a memorial, that's unfortunately when the fraud starts happening," she said.
She suggests that victims report the scams to local authorities, although they are very difficult to investigate and prosecute. "Once the money is wired, there's not much that we can do to recover it," Scott said. According to the Internet Crime Complaint Center, there was 5,270 complaints of fraud from the state of Virginia in 2007.
Check fraud accounted for 7.3 percent of those complaints. Just over 6 percent was credit card fraud, 4.7 percent was computer fraud, and online auction fraud was the most reported at 37.2 percent.
The Better Business Bureau and the Federal Trade Commission are urging consumers to be cautious of potential charity scams in connection with the devastating earthquake in China and cyclone in Myanmar.
"Whenever there is a major natural disaster, be it home or abroad, there are two things you can count on. The first is the generosity of Americans to donate time and money to help victims, and the second is the appearance of poorly run and in some cases fraudulent charities," said Art Taylor, president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance.
Portsia Smith: 540/374-5419 Email: psmith@fredericksburg.com
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