As Americans and the world respond to the urgent needs of the Haitian people, the dark deeds of evil people surface yet again.
The scammers who take advantage of disasters such as this one by preying upon unsuspecting donors, are already in full swing.
It has been widely reported now, that criminals have begun setting up fraudulent charities, helplines and websites in an attempt to cash in on the misery and heartache of the Haitian quake survivors.
Reuters is reporting that the FBI and The Bureau of Justice Assistance have already begun warning donors and tracking complaints during this relief effort.
Both the Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina shed light on the depths to which con-artists will go in order to steal both money and personal information.
The potential for technology to be used for the good of the Haitian relief effort, can be seen and safely accessed by texting to one or more legitimate mobile-friendly sites that are now in place.
– Texting HAITI to 90999: The U.S. Department of State’s Web site suggests texting “HAITI” to “90999″ to donate $10 to the American Red Cross to help with relief efforts. The $10 will be charged to your cell phone bill. Or you can go online to organizations like the Red Cross and Mercy Corps to contribute to the disaster relief efforts.
– Texting YELE to 501501: On Twitter, musician Wyclef Jean, a native of Haiti, notes, “Haiti needs your help text YELE to 501501 and $5 dollars will go toward earthquake relief.” Yele Haiti is a grassroots movement Jean has set up to inspire change in Haiti through programs in education, sports, the arts and environment.
We Americans can be a very generous and compassionate people. The sheer magnitude of the issues facing the world’s poorest countries like Haiti, can and are now being brought to light by the media as well as the ongoing efforts of well established relief organizations like World Vision and Food For The Poor.
In their hour of need, Haitian earthquake survivors and relief workers must not be held hostage by opportunistic “privacy pirates”. Shame on those who attempt to re-route essential resources away from the people of Haiti and into their own dark pockets.
