Con artists are asking for charitable donations through phony Web sites, phishing e-mails and auction listings, preying on people unfamiliar with charity scams and those looking to donate to a good cause.

Experts say that scammers use tragedies such as the recent Southern California wild fires, Hurricane Katrina and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to con generous Americans out of their money.

"Nobody really thinks that days after a national disaster people are going to be trying to scam other people out of donations. It's all opportunistic," says Javier Santoyo, senior manager of emerging technologies at Symantec Corp., a computer security vendor.

To make it worse, giving money to a fraudster can make you a target for future scams. Story continues below ...

Fake charity scam

Source: Symantec, Security Response    |

Do's: Don'ts: • Do give money directly to charities, instead of through a third party. • Don't succumb to aggressive approaches or offers for someone to come pick up your contribution. • Do watch out for name confusion. Many organizations have similar names. • Don't be afraid to ask questions, such as how much money goes toward fundraising costs. • Do steer clear of groups that can't give clear answers to your questions. • Never give cash. Write a check made out to the charity instead or use your credit card if you're the one contacting the organization. • Do research charitable organizations with the BBB, Guidestar.org, the American Institute of Philanthropy, or your state attorney general or secretary of state. • Never make a donation in response to an unsolicited phone call or e-mail without doing some research on the organization first.