Delaware News

Biden Warns Delawareans to Avoid Falling Victim to Storm-Related Financial Scams

Department of Justice | Department of Justice Press Releases | Fraud | Date Posted: Thursday, November 1, 2012



Wilmington – Attorney General Beau Biden urged Delawareans to be aware of criminals running financial scams related to the recent damage caused by Hurricane Sandy.

“Every time there is a natural disaster we see fraudsters trying to profit off of the destruction and take advantage of people’s desire to help,” said Biden, who yesterday issued a warning about fraudulent home repair schemes in the wake of Sandy. “Whether you are repairing damage to your home or yard, or looking to donate to a charity to help others, there are a few steps you should take to ensure you do not fall victim to a scam.”

Anyone who suspects they have been scammed or have received a suspicious call, Biden said, should immediately call the Attorney General’s toll-free Consumer Hotline at 1-800-220-5424 or email the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Unit at consumer.protection@delaware.gov.

The types of scams Delawareans should be especially aware of in the wake of the recent storm include:
• Cold-calling telephone salespeople, advertisements, and Internet postings that promote investment pools or bonds to help storm victims, or tout water-removal or purification technologies, electricity-generating devices and distressed real estate remediation programs should be a red flag for investors.
• Scams looking for money; some will be attempting to steal credit card information for identity theft.
• Fake victims may attempt to use social media to dupe well-intentioned donors.  Do not donate to unknown individuals that purport to need aid via posts on Facebook, Craigslist, Twitter or other social media sites.
Biden pointed out that within a week after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in 2005, approximately 2,000 fraudulent Web sites went up online. To protect themselves against fraud, Biden urged Delawareans to:
• Make sure a charity is legitimate by visiting the Better Business Bureau at www.bbb.org, Charity Navigator atwww.charitynavigator.org, or the American Institute of Philanthropy at www.charitywatch.org where you can view lists of verified charities.
• Hang up on aggressive cold callers promoting hurricane-related investments and delete unsolicited e-mail or Internet messages discussing small companies with new hurricane-related technologies or products.
• Use common sense. Pie-in-the-sky promises often signal investment fraud.

# # #

image_printPrint


Graphic that represents delaware news on a mobile phone

Keep up to date by receiving a daily digest email, around noon, of current news release posts from state agencies on news.delaware.gov.

Here you can subscribe to future news updates.

Biden Warns Delawareans to Avoid Falling Victim to Storm-Related Financial Scams

Department of Justice | Department of Justice Press Releases | Fraud | Date Posted: Thursday, November 1, 2012



Wilmington – Attorney General Beau Biden urged Delawareans to be aware of criminals running financial scams related to the recent damage caused by Hurricane Sandy.

“Every time there is a natural disaster we see fraudsters trying to profit off of the destruction and take advantage of people’s desire to help,” said Biden, who yesterday issued a warning about fraudulent home repair schemes in the wake of Sandy. “Whether you are repairing damage to your home or yard, or looking to donate to a charity to help others, there are a few steps you should take to ensure you do not fall victim to a scam.”

Anyone who suspects they have been scammed or have received a suspicious call, Biden said, should immediately call the Attorney General’s toll-free Consumer Hotline at 1-800-220-5424 or email the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Unit at consumer.protection@delaware.gov.

The types of scams Delawareans should be especially aware of in the wake of the recent storm include:
• Cold-calling telephone salespeople, advertisements, and Internet postings that promote investment pools or bonds to help storm victims, or tout water-removal or purification technologies, electricity-generating devices and distressed real estate remediation programs should be a red flag for investors.
• Scams looking for money; some will be attempting to steal credit card information for identity theft.
• Fake victims may attempt to use social media to dupe well-intentioned donors.  Do not donate to unknown individuals that purport to need aid via posts on Facebook, Craigslist, Twitter or other social media sites.
Biden pointed out that within a week after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in 2005, approximately 2,000 fraudulent Web sites went up online. To protect themselves against fraud, Biden urged Delawareans to:
• Make sure a charity is legitimate by visiting the Better Business Bureau at www.bbb.org, Charity Navigator atwww.charitynavigator.org, or the American Institute of Philanthropy at www.charitywatch.org where you can view lists of verified charities.
• Hang up on aggressive cold callers promoting hurricane-related investments and delete unsolicited e-mail or Internet messages discussing small companies with new hurricane-related technologies or products.
• Use common sense. Pie-in-the-sky promises often signal investment fraud.

# # #

image_printPrint


Graphic that represents delaware news on a mobile phone

Keep up to date by receiving a daily digest email, around noon, of current news release posts from state agencies on news.delaware.gov.

Here you can subscribe to future news updates.