The Norman Transcript

Nation/World

Discussion

November 2, 2012

Potential for scams prompts warnings

The Associated Press Associated Press

NORMAN — No sooner had floodwaters receded and high winds from Superstorm Sandy faded, but another threat arose with the inevitable appearance of the scammer and the con man.

Authorities warn of the likelihood of Sandy-related fraud reaching far beyond the storm zone — from bogus charities seeking donations, to home repair scams and sales of flood-damaged vehicles.

State attorneys general, business and consumer groups and the Justice Department are among those cautioning consumers to be wary as requests for donations start arriving via email, text message, telephone and Twitter.

The bottom line: Maintain a healthy skepticism when pitched by solicitors, contractors and groups you don’t know, and give your money to charities and businesses you have reason to trust.

“Fraud is an unfortunate reality in post-disaster environments,” said Joe Wehrle, president of the National Insurance Crime Bureau, a nonprofit group which deals with vehicle sales and repairs fraud. “As the initial recovery from Hurricane Sandy begins, there are people right now who are planning to converge on the affected areas in order to scam disaster victims out of their money.”

Scams operate from a distance, too. Evidence of the potential for fraud began surfacing online even before Sandy roared through the mid-Atlantic and the Northeast.

Nearly 1,100 Internet addresses related to Sandy have been registered since last Friday, according to Internet domain research site DomainTools. The names reference Sandy and words such as “hurricane,” “frankenstorm,” “aid” and “relief.”

Not all such sites are malicious, and some are just set up to get random hits and exposure for their linked advertisements, said Johannes Ullrich, chief research officer for the Sans Institute’s Internet Storm Center in Bethesda, Md. But in past disasters, some also have duped unwitting consumers out of money.

Some sites typically have featured a “donate” button. But either the money will never go to the relief fund or they will simply keep your credit card number to use later.

For local news and more, subscribe to The Norman Transcript Smart Edition, or our print edition.

Text Only | Photo Reprints
Nation/World
  • Investors push stocks higher

    NEW YORK — Investors on Wall Street are playing a guessing game with the Federal Reserve. On Monday, they guessed that the central bank will continue trying to prop up the economy and sent stocks higher....

    June 18, 2013

  • Federal agents search land linked to Jimmy Hoffa case

    OAKLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Federal agents revived the hunt for the remains of Jimmy Hoffa on Monday, bringing excavation equipment to a field in suburban Detroit where a reputed Mafia captain says the Teamsters boss’ body was buried....

    June 18, 2013

  • Investigators ‘zeroing in’ on Colorado wildfire start

    COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Rain helped firefighters douse Colorado’s most destructive wildfire in state history, while a new wind-whipped blaze in California forced evacuations and threatened homes Monday near Yosemite National Park. ...

    June 18, 2013

  • Chaos as gunfire erupts at Utah Father’s Day Mass

    OGDEN, Utah — It was a quiet part of the Father’s Day Mass as about 300 people stood up in preparation for communion. A parishioner, known by many at the church as Ricky Jennings, entered through the glass doors in back, holding his wife ...

    June 18, 2013

  • IRS supervisor in DC scrutinized tea party cases

    WASHINGTON — An Internal Revenue Service supervisor in Washington says she was personally involved in scrutinizing some of the earliest applications from tea party groups seeking tax-exempt status, including some requests that languished ...

    June 17, 2013

  • international briefs

    More Turkey unrest ISTANBUL — Riot police firing tear gas and water cannons repelled thousands of anti-government protesters attempting to converge on Istanbul’s central Taksim Square on Sunday, unbowed even as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ...

    June 17, 2013

  • Affirmative action ruling contest pits race vs. class

    In post-Great Recession America, which is the bigger barrier to opportunity — race or class? A decade ago, the U.S. Supreme Court kept the focus on race as a barrier, upholding the right of colleges to make limited use of racial ...

    June 17, 2013

  • Beyond NYC: Other places adapting to climate

    BONN, Germany — From Bangkok to Miami, cities and coastal areas across the globe are already building or planning defenses to protect millions of people and key infrastructure from more powerful storm surges and other effects of global ...

    June 17, 2013

  • Crews putting out Colo. hot spots

    COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — With evacuees anxious to return, firefighters worked Sunday to dig up and extinguish hot spots to protect homes spared by the most destructive wildfire in Colorado’s history....

    June 17, 2013

  • Even bigger data seizure

    WASHINGTON — In the months and early years after 9/11, FBI agents began showing up at Microsoft Corp. more frequently than before, armed with court orders demanding information on customers....

    June 16, 2013