Good Morning All,
As disaster strikes the east coast of our nation, please be aware that scammers often use natural disasters as an opportunity to spread malware and viruses, steal money, and conduct other malicious activity – often in the name of charities purporting to aid those in need. Here are some things you can do to protect yourself from being scammed, and protect your computer from malware and viruses:
- Be cautious of e-mails that claim to show pictures of the disaster areas in attached files, because the files may contain viruses. Only open attachments from known senders.
- Beware of organizations with copy-cat names similar to but not exactly the same as those of reputable charities. Additionally, most legitimate charities websites end in .org rather than .com.
- Rather than following a link to a website that you receive in e-mail, verify the legitimacy of non-profit organizations by utilizing a search engine to assist in confirming the group’s existence and its non-profit status.
- To ensure contributions are received and used for intended purposes, make contributions directly to known organizations rather than relying on others to make the donation on your behalf.
- Do not be pressured into making contributions, as reputable charities do not use such tactics.
- Do not give your personal or financial information to anyone who solicits contributions over the Internet, phone, or in person. Providing such information may compromise your identity and make you vulnerable to identity theft.
- Avoid cash donations if possible. Pay by debit or credit card, or write a check directly to the charity. Do not make checks payable to individuals.
- Legitimate charities do not normally solicit donations via money transfer services.
- Be skeptical of individuals representing themselves as surviving victims or officials asking for donations via e-mail or social networking sites.
Very Respectfully,
Lydia Hixon
Information Security Officer
Management Information Services
Administrative Office of the Courts
The Supreme Court of the State of Oklahoma
2100 North Lincoln Blvd, Suite 3, Oklahoma City, OK 73105