Meanwhile, the FBI continues to remind the public to perform due diligence before giving contributions to anyone soliciting donations or individuals offering to provide environmental remediation services. Solicitations can originate from e-mails, websites, door-to-door collections, flyers, mailings, telephone calls, and other similar methods.  Before making a donation of any kind or entering into an agreement to obtain services, consumers should adhere to certain guidelines, including:

* Do not respond to any unsolicited (spam) incoming e-mails, including clicking links contained within those messages because they may contain computer viruses.

* Be skeptical of individuals representing themselves as members of environmental organizations or officials asking for donations via e-mail or social networking sites.

* Beware of organizations with copy-cat names similar to but not exactly the same as those of reputable charities.

* Rather than follow a purported link to a website, verify the legitimacy of nonprofit organizations by utilizing various Internet-based resources that may assist in confirming the group’s existence and its nonprofit status.

* Be cautious of e-mails that claim to show pictures of the disaster areas in attached files because the files may contain viruses.  Only open attachments from known senders.

* To ensure contributions are received and used for intended purposes, make contributions directly to known organizations rather than relying on others to make the donation on your behalf.

* Do not be pressured into making contributions; reputable charities do not use such tactics.

* Be aware of whom you are dealing with when providing your personal and financial information. Providing such information may compromise your identity and make you vulnerable to identity theft.

* Avoid cash donations if possible. Pay by debit or credit card, or write a check directly to the charity. Do not make checks payable to individuals.

* Legitimate charities do not normally solicit donations via money transfer services.

* Most legitimate charities websites end in .org rather than .com.

* Report individuals who are making false or exaggerated insurance claims.

* Report individuals who make insurance claims but reside outside of the disaster zone.

* Beware of contractors who require up-front payment for services because they may fail to perform the work or complete the job to the customer’s satisfaction.

* Require contractors to provide a written contract detailing the services to be performed.

* Use only licensed contractors.

* Beware of job opportunities that require the applicant to pay an advanced fee before the job begins.

* Beware of individuals posing as government officials who require a processing fee to provide government services.

© Annie Blanco for Security World News, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Donating to Charity Tips, FBI, fraud, Oil Spill

 ”We are pleased to be able to return these paintings to the government of Peru,” said Perkins.  “Unfortunately, Peru suffers from depredations caused by thieves and looters and these stolen and looted objects regularly are brought into the U.S. for sale or display.  This deprives the Peruvian people of their religious and cultural heritage and corrupts the legitimate market for works of art.”

In 2005, Exipion Ernesto Ortiz-Espinosa brought two paintings into the U.S. from Bolivia.  One of the paintings, the 18th century oil on canvas known as “Doble Trinidad”, depicts the Holy Family with Trinity in a style characteristic of the Cusco School of painting.  It is appraised at $26,000. The other painting, “Saint Dominic,” an 18th century oil on canvas, depicts Saint Dominic offering a wedding veil to Santa Rosa of Lima and has been valued at $38,000. The works are religious paintings perhaps once hung in a church.

Ortiz consigned the two paintings to a gallery for sale.  However, he suspected the paintings were stolen because they had been cut from their frames and legal documentation could not be found.  The dealer then called the FBI.  The paintings were seized in 2007 and forfeited in 2009.

© Annie Blanco for Security World News, 2010. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: FBI, stolen paintings

According to an FBI press release, rental scams occur when the victim has property advertised and is contacted by an interested party. Once the rental price is agreed upon, the scammer sends a check for the deposit. The check covers housing expenses and is either written in excess of the amount required, with the scammer asking for the remainder to be remitted back, or for the correct amount, but the scammer backs out of the rental agreement and asks for a refund.

Because banks do not usually place a hold on the funds, the victim has immediate access to them and believes the check has cleared. In the end, the check is found to be counterfeit and the victim is held responsible by the bank for all losses.

A second common scam involves real estate that is posted via classified websites. The scammer duplicates postings from legitimate real estate sites, alters them, and reposts them. Often, the scammers use the broker’s real name to create a fake e-mail address, which gives the fraud more legitimacy. When the victim sends an e-mail through the website inquiring about the home, they receive a response from someone claiming to be the owner.

The “owner” typically says he and his wife are doing missionary work in a foreign country and need someone to rent their home while they are away. If the victim is interested, he or she is asked to send money to the “owner” in the foreign country. These funds go directly to the scammer, and the would-be renter loses his or her money.

Ways consumers can protect themselves from these schemes include:

* Do not accept overpayment for rental properties. If you receive a check that’s for more than the specified amount, return it. Do not deposit it.

* Do not wire funds to people you do not know.

* Verify potential renters’ income.

* Request renters’ personal references and follow up with those individuals.

* Check with your county recorder to learn who owns the property you’re seeking to rent.

* Call the property manager or association, if applicable, and ask about the landlord.

* Ask the landlord for a rental application. It’s a red flag if one is not available; most managed properties require an application.

* Find out how much of a security deposit may be requested in your state. Scammers will often ask for extra money in the form of a deposit.

The following requests can be indicators of fraudulent activity:

* The would-be tenant wants to rent or purchase the property sight unseen.

* The potential tenant says he or she is out of the country and he or she would like to send you a cashier’s check.

* The payment is for more than the agreed upon amount.

* There’s urgency to the entire process. For example, the tenant says he or she is arriving in the country next week and needs to establish residency right away.

If you have been a victim of Internet crime, please file a complaint at http://www.IC3.gov.

© Annie Blanco for Security World News, 2010. | Permalink | One comment | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: FBI, IC3, Real Estate Scams, Rental scams