Editorial: The worst of the worst

Friday, Sept. 9, 2005 | 9:15 a.m.

We were heartened to learn Thursday that the Chronicle of Philanthropy is reporting that relief organizations have raised more than $587 million in the 10 days since Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast. The American Red Cross alone has raised more than $485 million. USA Today reports that the donations received so far are outpacing those made in the aftermath of 9/11 and the devastating tsunami in South Asia.

Americans' generous nature, however, also means that scam artists are taking advantage of this tragedy. A story in Thursday's New York Times reports that the Internet in particular is a lucrative venue for ripping off unsuspecting donors. Law enforcement officials say that there are a multitude of different types of scams and that there appear to be many more of them than in past disasters. Some of the Web sites have innocent-sounding names, and purport to be sending donations to relief efforts, but they are nothing more than money-making ruses.

In Missouri a number of related Web sites seeking donations -- one calling itself katrinafamilies.com -- showed photos of the hurricane's devastation and directed users to a single site, InternetDonations.org, a nonprofit group that, unknown to contributors, had ties to white supremacist groups. It's unknown what happened to the contributions, but the Missouri attorney general was able to persuade a judge to shut down the Web site for now. Another type of scam involves unscrupulous individuals sending e-mails to people that make it appear as if it is a Web page operated by the American Red Cross, asking people to reply with their credit card numbers and other personal information. Once the crooks get the credit card information, they then redirect the contributor to the real American Red Cross Web site, making it difficult for the individual to know he has been duped.

It is a sad commentary that, in such a time of suffering, some people trying to help the Katrina victims have become unwitting victims themselves of scam artists. It is nothing short of sick. Nonetheless, people shouldn't let a relative handful of criminals deter them from giving. But Americans wanting to help should be cautious and make sure that the group they are giving to is reputable and has a proven track record in aiding victims during disasters.