Give in a Crisis.... But be wary who you are giving to

There is an emerging humanitarian crisis in Haiti, currently the front page story on every major new website.

This is a quick security reminder due to the timeliness of the issue. The e-mail I received above is actually legitimate, but this is the same e-mail I would expect a scam-artist to use, just using the hyper-links and shortened URLs to point to illegitimate sites.

Quick security tip:

Be particularly wary of scam artists trying to profit from human nature. When catastrophy strikes, many people want to help and will often be too eager to send their money to bother checking where the money is actually going. Be wary of e-mails soliciting help and more wary still when the URLs are shortened. Don't be discouraged from donating, just make sure you go directly to the site to which you wish to give your time and money. If you want to donate through the Red Cross, go directly to www.redcross.org, or to the charity or benefit of your choosing.