Be Alert For Hurricane Sandy Relief Scams

As the east coast continues to try and put itself back together after Hurricane Sandy, several trustworthy non-profit organizations are pitching in to help out, relying on public donations to help those in need get back on their feet as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, there are those who are looking to prey on people's sympathies toward the storm victims and make a quick buck.

Indiana Attorney General, Greg Zoeller issued a statement on his website urging Hoosiers to "be on guard" against potential scams from people claiming to be assisting the relief effort. Zoeller suggests to keeping an eye out for "individuals posing as representatives of cable TV companies or Internet service providers who might call and claim customers will receive a billing credit due to supposed outages caused by Hurricane Sandy and then ask for the customer’s bank account information."

Zoeller also reminds the public they should never "give their account information over the phone to anyone unless the consumer initiates the call," and "to verify first that relief organizations are reputable, so that they aren’t scammed."

If you or someone you know receives a call from a person claiming to represent a charity assisting the relief efforts, you can check the validity of their claim at CharityNavigator.com

Find a list of reputable organizations and how you can make a donation without having to leave the house here.