EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — FBI El Paso is urging victims and the public to research charities before donating to the recent wildfires in Ruidoso.
FBI El Paso Special Agent Assistant Public Affairs Officer Dereck Hackert says that once disasters start happening, there are people who want to donate. Still, there are also “criminal actors” who see this as an opportunity to take advantage of the situation and make money.
Hackert says people can protect themselves by identifying some of the red flags. Those red flags are listed below.
Only donate to charities or groups who you know or trust
Do your research first before making a donation by going to the Federal Trade Commission’s website and looking up the organization’s name
Verify the organization’s name and make sure that it’s not a copycat name that could be posing as a legitimate company or charity organization
Avoid charities that ask to pay with suspicious payment methods such as cash, a gift card, virtual currency, or wire transfer. It’s safer to donate with a credit card or check that way it can be tracked and potentially recovered if it’s a scam.
If you receive links from an unsuspected number, do not open the message, and very if the organization or person is who they say they are.
Most charities won’t reach out to you and ask for your personal information.
For those who lost homes or structures, it’s important to verify contractors
Hackert says those who are victims of these types of scams can report it to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center or call the El Paso Field Office at 915 832-5000. You can also go to the El Paso Field Office and report the incident in person.
Hackert says they have not yet received any complaints of people being victims of scams regarding the Ruidoso wildfires.
“We wanted to put this message out as a proactive attempt to the community to make them aware that this is something that we have seen in past tragedies,” Hackert said.
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