Mafia Wars Embraces The Haitian Relief Effort
Zynga has been a staunch supporter of helping Haiti which is the poorest nation in the western hemisphere and with the recent earthquake they have ramped up their efforts raising more than $1.5 million by allowing the players of their popular social networking games to donate safely.
I am an avid Mafia Wars player and even though I whack a few of my peers on a regular basis I am not cold hearted when it comes to helping a country that cannot help itself. Today I wanted to give you some information that may both save you some headache and provide some needed support to Haitians who desperately need it.
When there is a disaster somewhere in the world most countries rush to aid the stricken area as quickly as possible. There are also many charities which go into high gear to get some relief on the ground as soon as possible. However the misery suffered by the victims is a smorgasbord for scammers. It has been reported that there are over 400 websites, email campaigns and other scams working right now to take advantage of the plight of the Haitian people.
If want to give but are afraid of being scammed here is an excerpt from the FBI website regarding a Haitian Fraud Alert and how you can protect yourself.
HAITIAN EARTHQUAKE RELIEF FRAUD ALERT
01/13/10—The FBI today reminds Internet users who receive appeals to donate money in the aftermath of Tuesday’s earthquake in Haiti to apply a critical eye and do their due diligence before responding to those requests. Past tragedies and natural disasters have prompted individuals with criminal intent to solicit contributions purportedly for a charitable organization and/or a good cause.
Therefore, before making a donation of any kind, consumers should adhere to certain guidelines, to include the following:
- Do not respond to any unsolicited (spam) incoming e-mails, including clicking links contained within those messages.
- Be skeptical of individuals representing themselves as surviving victims or officials asking for donations via e-mail or social networking sites.
- Verify the legitimacy of nonprofit organizations by utilizing various Internet-based resources that may assist in confirming the group’s existence and its nonprofit status rather than following a purported link to the site.
- Be cautious of e-mails that claim to show pictures of the disaster areas in attached files because the files may contain viruses. Only open attachments from known senders.
- Make contributions directly to known organizations rather than relying on others to make the donation on your behalf to ensure contributions are received and used for intended purposes.
- Do not give your personal or financial information to anyone who solicits contributions: Providing such information may compromise your identity and make you vulnerable to identity theft.
Anyone who has received an e-mail referencing the above information or anyone who may have been a victim of this or a similar incident should notify the IC3 via www.ic3.gov.
If you have the means please help the people of Haiti but protect yourself in the process.

