The Public Have Report Unsolicited E-Mail Messages Which Urge People To Donate Money To The Red Cross

The World Trade Center and the Pentagon, consumer groups and members of the public have reported receiving unsolicited e-mail messages, which urge people to donate money to the Red Cross or to funds for victims of the attacks and their families. Some of these e-mails are being sent by people with a sincere desire to help, and contain accurate information. Others, however, have tried to persuade people to leave valuable personal or financial data, such as credit-card numbers, at Internet Websites that do not belong to legitimate charitable organizations. In addition, some reports indicate that telemarketers operating fraudulent "sweepstakes" or magazine-subscription schemes may be falsely promising consumers that a portion of their money will be provided to the disaster recovery efforts.

It is a federal crime for anyone to falsely or fraudulently hold himself or herself out as, or represent or pretend himself or herself to be, a member of or an agent for the American National Red Cross for the purpose of soliciting, collecting, or receiving money or material (18 U.S.C. § 917). It is a federal felony for anyone to engage in mail fraud, wire fraud, or credit-card fraud (18 U.S.C. §§ 1341, 1343, 1029). Punishment for these types of felonies can range as high as 15 years imprisonment, or as high as 25 years imprisonment where the fraud is in connection with the conduct of telemarketing. In addition, fraudulent solicitations for supposedly charitable causes may violate other federal or state consumer protection laws.

Members of the public should act cautiously before sending money or giving their credit-card information or personal data, such as passwords or Social Security numbers, over the telephone or the Internet to people soliciting them for donations for disaster relief. Legitimate charitable causes, such as those listed below, do not need to telephone or e-mail you to solicit donations for the victims, or to obtain your passwords or Social Security numbers to accept your donations. If you have any concerns about sending money to a particular organization, do not hesitate to call that organization directly and ask for more information, and consult the state attorney general for your state.