Feds Move to Crack Down on Hurricane Harvey Scammers
Police force enforcement agencies are not playing when it comes to Hurricane Harvey-related scams.
The Department of Justice has formed a working grouping to investigate and prosecute illegal activity related to the catastrophic conditions event. The working group includes representatives from the Usa Attorney's Office, the National Center for Disaster Fraud, Texas Attorney Full general'south Office, Department of Homeland Security, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and a number of other federal and land law enforcement agencies.
Regime take already been receiving calls nigh Hurricane Harvey-related scams, but DOJ did non specify the nature of the criminal activity taking place.
"As we all work to rebuild the Houston/Gulf Declension region and look for means to help, it's important to perform due diligence before giving contributions to anyone soliciting donations or individuals offering to provide assistance to those affected by Harvey, whether the solicitations are in person, via email, or telephone," FBI Special Agent Perrye K. Turner said in a argument. "The FBI is dedicated to investigating and preventing this type of fraud, specially when it involves preying on individuals during times of dandy need."
This new initiative follows a alarm from the US Computer Emergency Readiness Squad (Usa-CERT) about possible Hurricane Harvey-related phishing attacks.
"Users are advised to exercise caution in handling any email with subject line, attachments, or hyperlinks related to Hurricane Harvey, even if it appears to originate from a trusted source," the US-CERT wrote in a Mon advisory. "Fraudulent emails will ofttimes contain links or attachments that direct users to phishing or malware-infected websites. Emails requesting donations from duplicitous charitable organizations usually appear afterward major natural disasters."
Meanwhile, the Federal Trade Commission, which is too participating in the new working grouping, this week urged users to be cautious nearly charity scams when donating to assist Hurricane Harvey victims. Be certain to check out our article on how you tin can help Hurricane Harvey victims, even if you're thousands of miles away.
If you encounter what appears to be a Hurricane Harvey-related scam, report it to the National Eye for Disaster Fraud, which was prepare by DOJ following Hurricane Katrina. A team of constabulary enforcement agents will review those reports and refer individuals to the appropriate investigative agencies.
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Source: https://sea.pcmag.com/news/17286/feds-move-to-crack-down-on-hurricane-harvey-scammers
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