Ecuador and Japan Earthquake Charity or Donation Scams

Scammers are taking advantage of the devastation caused by earthquakes in Ecuador and Japan, by creating phishing charity or donation websites to steal personal and financial information, malicious email messages to infect their potential victims' computers with malware, bogus social media pages and posts, and fraudulent charitable organizations. Donation scams are common after major natural disasters, because scammers know that people are eager help the victims.

Donate to charities you know and trust. And, never click on links or open attachments in e-mails unless you know who sent them and what they are. Opening attachments, even in e-mails that seem to be from friends or family, can infect your computer or mobile device with viruses, spyware, Trojan horse and other malware that cybercriminals use to spy on and steal their victims' information.

Remember, be careful when sending your money; you want to help the victims and not to make the scammers rich by taking advantage of the tragedies.

Here some legitimate charitable organizations that you can make your donations to: