Audio Transcript

Mollie Halpern: The FBI reminds the public of the potential rise in charity scams that exploit people’s pockets and generosity in the aftermath of natural disasters.

If you’re thinking about donating to victims of Hurricane Harvey, the FBI recommends taking precautions to ensure your contribution doesn’t end up in the hands of criminals.

For example, make donations directly to reputable organizations rather than relying on a middleman to make the donation for you.

Donna Gregory is the unit chief of the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, known as IC3.

Donna Gregory: The IC3 monitors all incoming complaints specifically looking for key words that may be related to Hurricane Harvey scams.

Halpern: IC3 is also working with well-known charities to validate the authenticity of websites claiming to collect donations on their behalf.

Gregory: If not, then we can send it out to law enforcement as a lead to actually get that site taken down.

Halpern: To report suspected fraudulent charity schemes or if you think you may be a victim, visit www.ic3.gov. There, you can also find tips on avoiding fraudsters and how to protect yourself. With FBI, This Week, I’m Mollie Halpern of the Bureau.