BEWARE OF BOGUS ONLINE “HELP” FOR HAITI. IF YOU WANT TO DONATE MONEY, CONSIDER KNOWN AND RELIABLE CHARITIES.
YOU CAN HELP RIGHT NOW. SEND TEXT MESSAGE OR DONATE ONLINE THROUGH ONE OF THE ORGANIZATIONS BELOW.
The American Red Cross will provide for immediate needs for food, water, temporary shelter, medical services and emotional support. Text the word “Haiti” to 90999 and $10 will be charged to your phone bill for Red Cross International Relief Fund.
UNICEF has issued a statement that "Children are always the most vulnerable population in any natural disaster, and UNICEF is there for them." UNICEF requests donations for relief for children in Haiti via their Haiti Earthquake Fund. Call 1-800-4UNICEF.
Donate through Wyclef Jean's foundation, Yele Haiti. Text "Yele" to 501501 and $5 will be charged to your phone bill and given to relief projects through the organization.
International Medical Corps is assembling a team of first responders and resources to provide lifesaving medical care and other emergency services to survivors of the earthquake. The IMC previously helped recovery efforts after September 2009's earthquake in Sumatra, Indonesia, and the massive 2005 earthquake in Pakistan. Call 1-800-481-4462.
The Clinton Foundation. As a UN Special Envoy to Haiti, Bill Clinton appeared on CNN on Wednesday to ask for further assistance in bringing relief to populations on the ground. Text “HAITI” to 20222 to donate $10.
Doctors Without Borders is on the ground and has set up clinics to treat injured in Haiti. Donate online:
www.doctorswithoutborders.org Oxfam is rushing in teams from around the region to respond to the situation to provide clean water, shelter, sanitation and help people recover. Donate online:
www.oxfamamerica.org Beware of online scams and emails Security software company Symantec says it typically starts seeing spam and phishing e-mails seeking money, "donations" or access to bank accounts about 24 to 48 hours after after news of a major tragedy such as Haiti's.
And it's not just e-mails that need to be closely monitored. It's social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook, as well as fake Web that sites can pop up as fast as the news itself. There's also the problem of "search engine poisoning," which "we're seeing limited examples of already" in the quake's aftermath, said Joris Evers of McAfee security software.
Search engine poisoning is done by criminals who use software tools to manipulate, or poison, search engine rankings of sites, so that users are steered to certain malicious Web sites.
"Some search terms related to Haiti are turning up dangerous Web pages that may attempt to steal personal information or install malicious code on your PC," said Evers.
"We have also seen a few spam campaigns that mention the disaster in Haiti and we expect to see more scams that will use the event to trick people into giving up money."
Evers said McAfee recommends that those who want to make charitable donations online "go directly to the Web site of a trusted charity and do not follow links in e-mail, even if they seem reputable e-mails."
Said the Better Business Bureau: "Be cautious about online giving, especially in response to spam messages and e-mails that claim to link to a relief organization. In response to the (Indian Ocean) tsunami disaster in 2004, there were concerns raised about many Web sites and new organizations that were created overnight allegedly to help victims."
Those who do receive e-mails soliciting money for Haiti and seeking personal or financial information, are advised to notify the FBI via its Internet Crime Complaint Center Web site.
Posted By: Richard Kigel
Wednesday, January 13th 2010 at 8:07PM
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