Hurricane Katrina Avoid Falling Prey to Donation Scams - Click to Proceed - Brought to you by The Louisiana State Fire Marshal

Donation s You may receive an from what appears to be The Red Cross or another agency asking for donations for hurricane victims. - Click to Proceed -

Be Suspicious! Whenever you receive an asking for money or donations, be wary. There are a few things you can look for to see if the is legitimate. - Click to Proceed -

Where Does it Send You? One of the main things to look for is where the links in the send you. Scammers often create bogus sites that look legit to get your credit card info – check the URL before going there! This link does NOT take you to The Red Cross website! - Click to Proceed -

If In Doubt, Don’t Click! Most companies and organizations won’t send you s asking for money. If you have *any* doubts, type the URL of the site in manually rather than clicking on the links given in the . Always be careful when clicking on links in s – once you’ve entered your credit card info into their site, it’s no longer yours! - Click to Proceed -

Rule of Thumb The rule of thumb is to always be suspicious of any s asking you for money, donations, or requiring you to enter personal information into a website. If in doubt, remember to type in the URL of the site manually in your address bar – never follow links given to you in an . - Click to End -