Detroit City Wire

United States Attorney Dawn N. Ison has issued a public safety alert warning the public about potential charity scams following Hurricane Helene. The hurricane made landfall on September 26 in Florida's Big Bend Region, causing significant damage across several states, including Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Tennessee.

“In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, the public should be on guard against disaster fraud schemes,” said U.S. Attorney Dawn N. Ison. “As we often see when natural disasters occur, criminals will target those impacted and concerned citizens ready to lend a helping hand. The Justice Department stands ready to hold those accountable who perpetrate this type of fraud.”

Ison advises people to be cautious before donating to relief efforts for victims of Hurricane Helene. Fraudsters may exploit the situation by sending fake communications through email or social media and creating deceptive websites to solicit donations.

The alert includes several guidelines for safe contributions: donate directly to known organizations rather than through intermediaries; avoid pressure tactics used by scammers; do not respond to unsolicited messages or click on links within them; verify charities using internet resources; watch out for copy-cat names similar to reputable charities; avoid cash donations if possible and pay by credit card or check directly to the charity; know that legitimate charities typically do not use money transfer services and their websites usually end in .org rather than .com.

The U.S. Department of Justice's National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF), established after Hurricane Katrina, works with over 50 federal, state, and local agencies to deter fraud related to disasters. The NCDF encourages reporting any fraudulent activity related to relief operations online at www.justice.gov/DisasterComplaintForm or via their hotline at (866) 720-5721.