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A little over two weeks ago we posted about the first Hurricane Harvey scam emails that appeared in our spam traps.  The hurricane scams continue to persist without showing any signs of slowing down soon.

Scammers are now using Harvey and Irma references or just a generic email to encompass any hurricane assistance efforts.

We want to quickly remind everyone to be extremely careful where your donations go while re-emphasizing our safety tips. A few additional examples of a hurricane scam email and donation site are below.  The site was removed shortly after this screenshot was taken. At AppRiver, our SecureTide spam and virus filtering team works 24/7/365 to block these scams.

Donation & Safety Tips Navigate directly to the legitimate sites or charities you may consider donating to. Type in the address manually instead of clicking links. If you aren’t sure about a charity, research them first using a third-party watchdog (give.org, charitywatch.org, guidestar.org, or charitynavigator.org). Be extremely suspicious of any attachment or link you may receive via email. Contact the sender directly if there is any question. If you are an AppRiver customer we will happily investigate any suspicious messages or attachments further for you, please contact us. Utilize checks and credit cards for donations directly to the charity itself, not an individual and avoid cash if possible. This creates a paper trail for tax deductions as well. Do not give out personal information such as drivers license information, social security number, birth dates, mother’s maiden name, etc.  This information is used by the bad guys for social engineering their way further into your accounts or ID theft. Hurricane Scams Email & Website Examples

Hurricane Scam Email

 

Hurricane Scam Site