Bad actors often take advantage of natural disasters, and especially hurricanes, in times of crisis. Hurricanes Helene and Milton pose significant new online threats, including misinformation and fraud.
October 13, 2024 •
(Travis Long/TNS)
That didn’t take long.
According to CBS, “as Hurricane Milton steams toward Florida even as Americans continue to clean up from Hurricane Helene, another threat looms: scammers trying to exploit the disasters, and many people’s impulse to help those in need, by posing as legitimate charities.
“The National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF), established by the Justice Department after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 to protect people from scams following disasters, is warning the public to be leery of some hurricane-related solicitations for funds that could be efforts by criminals to steal your money or personal information.
“‘In the wake of Helene, fraudsters will target victims of the storm along with citizens across the country who want to do what they can to assist individuals affected by the storm. Unfortunately, criminals exploit disasters for their own gain by sending fraudulent communications through email or social media and by creating deceiving websites designed to solicit contributions,’ the NCDF said.”
News travels fast, and TV stations across the country are warning about these frauds. In Utah, ABC4 was already reporting on online scams last week: “… Scams and solicitations may manifest themselves include social media, phone calls, texts, flyers, door-to-door collections, and more, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah.” Here are some additional recent examples:
FCC: After Storms, Watch Out for Scams
Red flags include the following: “First, know that officials with government disaster assistance agencies do not call or text asking for financial account information, and that there is no fee required to apply for or get disaster assistance from FEMA or the Small Business Administration. Anyone claiming to be a federal official who asks for money is an imposter. Remember that phone scams often use spoofing techniques to deliberately falsify the information transmitted to your caller ID display to disguise their identity or make the call appear to be official. If someone calls claiming to be a government official, hang up and call the number listed on that government agency’s official website. Never reveal any personal information unless you’ve confirmed you’re dealing with a legitimate official. Workers and agents who knock on doors of residences are required to carry official identification and show it upon request, and they may not ask for or accept money.”
FEMA: Addressing Hurricane Helene Rumors and Scams
“The high volume of rumors and misinformation in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene has caused confusion and threatens important response and recovery efforts. As federal agencies work closely with states, Tribal Nations and local communities to restore critical services and provide assistance to survivors, it’s important to know what’s true and how to protect yourself from scams.”
HISTORY REPEATING
Sadly, we have seen this trend before. Over the decades, as hearts go out to the hurricane victims, scammers know that they can cash in on people willing to give generously who often fail to check their sources and/or are tricked into thinking they are giving to another organization.
“As 2017 draws to a close, the record-breaking hurricane season tops the list of stories that we will ponder for decades. Nevertheless, the new cyberstorms in 2017 were just as potent, striking at the heart of our financial system with more unprecedented data breaches, cyberextortion, CEO fraud and fake news that undermined trust in virtually every area of life. Here’s your year-end cybersecurity and infrastructure roundup of the top online stories — and one attempt to connect the dots.”
“There is no doubt that rebuilding after Harvey will take an extraordinary effort. The Hill.com offered this analysis: ‘Harvey was a storm of historic impact, demanding unprecedented levels of assistance in rebuilding. … High-end estimates of the cost to restore Southeast Texas range in the neighborhood of $190 billion (double the figure after Hurricane Katrina).’
“Sadly, but not unexpectedly, the dark side of the Net also surfaced this past week. InfoSecurity magazine highlighted how phishers tricked people during Hurricane Harvey with a variety of online and offline scams.
“As I told SC magazine early last week, when the tragic events unfolded in Southeast Texas, the dark side of the Internet came to life with a wide variety of online scams to trick global Web surfers. While there are many good causes that need our immediate support, there have already been reports of both hurricane victims and potential donors receiving misleading information that is attempting to deceive. Sadly, both Texans in trouble and those who want to give from around the world are falling for relief effort scams.”
“For those outside of Florida who want to contribute and help those in need, it’s important to understand that scammers may target you too. Unfortunately, scammers exploit this goodwill by setting up fake charities or crowdfunding campaigns.
“Make sure that your donation goes to a legitimate cause by verifying the organization on sites like CharityNavigator.org or Give.org. Be cautious of any donation requests made over the phone or through social media, as these are often unverified. …”
And Fox 26 in Houston provided links to some reputable organizations that help with disaster relief:
FINAL THOUGHTS
I fully expect numerous news stories will be published in the coming weeks and months regarding specific scams that will be pretending to help hurricane victims in Florida and North Carolina.
In this election season, also be on guard for fake political messages about the hurricane cleanups and related people stories. Check your facts and stories.
Ask: Is this really legit?
But most of all, be vigilant. Do help those in need, but not the bad actors.
Daniel J. Lohrmann is an internationally recognized cybersecurity leader, technologist, keynote speaker and author.
*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from Lohrmann on Cybersecurity authored by Lohrmann on Cybersecurity. Read the original post at: https://www.govtech.com/blogs/lohrmann-on-cybersecurity/misinformation-online-scams-surging-following-historic-hurricanes