Authorities Warn Potential Donors To Beware of Boston Marathon-Related Scams
By Mike DeNardo
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- People may want to help a charity in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombings. But law enforcement officials are warning good-hearted folks not to fall for scams.
"The best scams out there leave people thinking they've done just fine," notes Pennsylvania senior deputy attorney general Michael Foerster. He says that's why donors should do some research first.
The day after the tragedy there were about 25 domain names related to the Boston bombings, according to Foerster, then 70 the next day, and more than 125 now.
"These web sites are proliferating," he tells KYW Newsradio, "and that just sort of adds to the urgency that people have to be scrupulous and research these things" through web sites such as guidestar.org or bbb.org, or Pennsylvania's charity registration site, to make sure they're legitimate.
Foerster advises online surfers never to click on a link from an unsolicited e-mail or Tweet, because you could be redirected to a web site that's out to steal your money or install malware on your PC.
