SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Springfield Field Office of the FBI warned the public that criminals are soliciting fake humanitarian donations using the Israel-Hamas war.
The FBI said it's received reports of real email addresses, owned by Israel-based individuals, being used to solicit donations by hackers. It's also possible email addresses were spoofed, or made to look like someone else's legitimate address.
"Disaster fraud" is a type of scam common during conflicts like war, natural disasters and epidemics. Criminals take advantage of the public's desire to support humanitarian efforts by claiming to be associated with an existing charity or by creating a new charity.
Some perpetrators of disaster fraud prey on their own communities by claiming to collect funds for victims abroad, then use the funds for personal expenses or in support of criminal enterprises domestically or internationally. The FBI said foreign terrorist organizations often establish fake charities through social media to help fund their operations.
Fake charity solicitations can begin as a social media post, an email, a cold call or a crowdfunding website request.
Red flags for disaster fraud can include:
- Unsolicited emails seeking donations. If you want to donate to a charity, go directly to their website rather than clicking on links from emails.
- "Charities" asking for payment with cash, gift cards, wire transfers or cryptocurrency. Criminals prefer payment by methods that are harder to track or seek reimbursement.
Here are some tips from the FBI on how to avoid disaster fraud:
- Research new charities online. Verify phone numbers or email addresses before donating.
- If you're donating to an established charity, make sure you're using the right website. Criminals have been known to use "domain spoofing" or "URL hijacking" to make look-alike websites with URLs that look similar to real websites.
- Use the IRS's website to see if the charity you're donating to is registered.
If you think someone is committing charity fraud, you can report it on the FBI's website, at 1-800-CALL-FBI, or at the Springfield office's number at (217) 522-9675.
Watch more news, weather and sports on News 8's YouTube channel
