Helping After Harvey

Hurricane Harvey has devastated our fellow Texans and we all want to help.  You might have noticed the City of Haltom City posting this notice:

HURRICANE HARVEY

Haltom City is not accepting material donations such as clothing and blankets for the victims of Hurricane Harvey. If citizens want to contribute to Hurricane Harvey disaster relief money may be donated directly to the American Red Cross. Select Hurricane Harvey from the drop-down menu. At this time and in the upcoming days, money will be the greatest need and the easiest and most convenient way of assisting those affected.

In addition to the Red Cross, you may also want to consider donating to the SPCA of Texas   or the Humane Society to help animals affected by the storm.

Libraries have also been hit hard with this storm. To help libraries affected, you can make a donation to the Texas Library Association Disaster Relief Fund.

You might have also noticed many people on local Facebook groups soliciting donations. Our IT Manager offers the following advice:

"Heads-up! Bad guys are exploiting the Hurricane Harvey disaster. There are fake Facebook pages, tweets are going out with fake charity websites, and phishing emails are sent out asking for donations to #HurricaneHarvey Relief Funds that they keep for themselves. Don't fall for any scams. If you want to make a donation, go to the website of the charity of your choice and make a donation. Type the address in your browser or use a bookmark. Do not click on any links in emails or text you might get. Whatever you see in the coming weeks about Hurricane Harvey disaster relief... THINK BEFORE YOU CLICK. Hurricane Harvey hit hard and especially Houston, TX is badly flooded. The death toll is rising and you can also count on cyber-scams exploiting this disaster. Scammers are now using the Hurricane Harvey disaster to trick people in clicking on links, on Facebook, Twitter and phishing emails trying to solicit charitable giving for the flood victims.
Here are some examples:

• Facebook pages dedicated to victim relief contain links to scam websites.

• Tweets are going out with links to charitable websites soliciting donations, but in reality, include links to scam sites or links that lead to a malware infection.

• Phishing emails dropping in a user's inbox asking for donations to #HurricaneHarvey Relief Fund.

Be wary of anything online covering the Hurricane Harvey disaster in the following weeks.U.S. federal agencies are warning citizens anxious to donate money for those victimized by Hurricane Harvey to be especially wary of scam artists. In years past we’ve seen shameless fraudsters stand up fake charities and other bogus relief efforts in a bid to capitalize on public concern over an ongoing disaster. Here are some tips to help ensure sure your aid dollars go directly to those most in need.The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued an alert Monday urging consumers to be on the lookout for a potential surge in charity scams. The FTC advises those who wish to donate to stick to charities they know, and to be on the lookout for charities or relief Web sites that seem to have sprung up overnight in response to current events (such as houstonfloodrelief.net, registered on Aug. 28, 2017). Sometimes these sites are set up by well-meaning people with the best of intentions (however misguided), but it’s best not to take a chance.The FTC also warns consumers not to assume that a charity message posted on social media is a legitimate, and urges folks to research the organization before donating by visiting charity evaluation sites such as Charity Navigator, Charity Watch, GuideStar, or theBetter Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance. The agency also reminds people who wish to donate via text message to confirm the number with the source before you donate.From the US Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) comes a reminder that malware purveyors frequently use natural disasters and other breaking news items of broad interest to trick people into clicking on malicious links or opening booby-trapped email attachments."