Being charitable without becoming vulnerable…

January 15, 2010 - By Justin E. Gehrke

By now, only a recluse would be unaware of the devastating earthquake that occurred in Haiti. Television, radio, and the internet sources are inundated with both news about the quake and, more importantly, how people can help through charitable donations of money, non-perishable goods, medical supplies, and more. As a Twitterer myself, I have to say how proud I am to be part of something that has helped raised awareness and record donations, for people truly in need. In the midst of it all, though, all personnel cautioned that monetary donations should not be given to any organization, until you have verified that it is legitimate. In the short time since the disaster occurred, numerous reports have already surfaced on how bogus organizations are targeting people, via telephone and email scams.

They say monetary donations are the best way to help. They encourage contributing via SMS (text messaging) and charitable websites. With the prevalence of cybercrime and associated scams, how can you help others without compromising your own personal information and finances? Below we detail a few ways that will allow you to ensure that your are doing both.

How you can avoid scams or malicious infection:

1. Do not respond to, click on links, or open attachments in unsolicited email messages sent directly to you.

2. If you are registered to receive emails from charitable organizations, such as the American Red Cross, and you receive solicitations for donations, go directly to the website by typing in the link on your web-browser.

3. Do not respond or provide any information to unsolicited, direct telephone calls received at work, your residence, or via cellular telephone.

Ways to help others and ensure your protection:

1. If you receive a request you believe may be legitimate, verify that the organization is registered as a charity via government-sponsored websites. The U.S. Internal Revenue Service maintains a searchable registry of certified charities at: http://www.irs.gov/app/pub-78/. The U.S. Better Business Bureau also maintains a list of registered charities at: http://www.bbb.org/us/Charity-Reviews/

2. As previously stated, do not click on links in email messages or attachments. Visit the website directly and only after you have verified the organization via the links provided above.

3. Before entering personal information, credit cards numbers, etc. verify that the website begins with “https://” and that (after double-clicking on the padlock symbol in your browser) the certificate issued contains the same name as the website/organization and is not expired. This will prevent you from providing your information to a bogus organization and sending your information in an unencrypted manner, through the internet.

Last night, I sat down with my 7-year old son, explained the importance of give of ourselves to help others, and, via the Red Cross website, donated on behalf of our family. In the process, I showed him the https://, the “little padlock”, and the basic certificate information. He may not understand cryptographic algorithms, but he does understand that if the three don’t match, providing personal information is a “No-Go”! Ultimately, Hatians receive help and my son learns two valuable lessons…a real-life one and a virtual one. None of the above information is new or ground-breaking, but, sometimes, the most simple things are overlooked. On that thought, look out for yourself, your family, and your friends by passing on this information to them. In the end, it will help us all get a little closer to achieving “Geek Shui”.

Justin E. Gehrke is the founder of Geek Shui Living. As a right and left-brained geek, he is available for consulting in the areas of Information Technology, Network Security, and creative web design and development. You can contact him via the Geek Shui Living Contact page. Alternatively, you can follow him, via twitter, and be voraciously consume his technology news commentary and random geek ramblings: http://twitter.com/GeekShui

January 15, 2010 at 1:45 pm

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