The Unforeseen Waves of Scammers

An+aerial+view+of+Hurricane+Irma+at+its+peak+strength+over+the+Virgin+Islands.+Image+taken+by+NASA+and+used+under+the+Public+Domain.+Photo+via+Wikimedia+Commons+under+the+Creative+Commons+License.+https%3A%2F%2Fcommons.wikimedia.org%2Fwiki%2FFile%3AHurricane_daniel_2006.jpg

NASA

An aerial view of Hurricane Irma at its peak strength over the Virgin Islands. Image taken by NASA and used under the Public Domain. Photo via Wikimedia Commons under the Creative Commons License. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hurricane_daniel_2006.jpg

Campbell Fair, Snapshot Editor

Very recently there has been a craze of storms covering the east coast. Trillions of dollars worth of items have been washed away in sweeps by hurricanes Katia, Irma, and Jose and Harvey. These fast and furious hurricanes came one after another creating a cycle of disaster.

Harvey started off the chain by arriving August 25, Katia struck August 29, Irma September 9, and to finish it off, Jose and Maria struck September 19 leaving both the East Coast and Puerto Rico with lots of distruction. With all the tragedy, Americans has desired to help by donating their money to sources like Red Cross, All Hands, Global Giving, and more but what donors don’t realize is, their money could be used for no purpose at all. Scammers across the globe have used these natural disasters as paradise for sympathetic citizens who want to donate.

These scammers have used websites to persuade people to donate. Scammers on an average get $50,000 of donations just from one natural disaster. That is a lot of money for just one purpose. But there is a big difference between a scam and misuse of money. 

Jade Loerzel, sophomore at Air Academy High School recently had her grandma experience the hurricanes first hand, Jade’s grandma says, “I’ve lived in Texas for 10 years now, and this has been the most disastrous event I’ve seen in awhile. It’s going to take a long time to regrow but with the help of other people we will grow again.” This shows that with the help of other citizens the states will grow once again.

Victims are desperate for help, barely surviving, while there are scammers and other people collecting money for purposes that will not benefit victims. Scammers are using phishing emails to steal login information, create bugs on computer softwares, and a lot more. Sources say, “People are preying on humanity’s empathy.” Scammers are locating computers in which they send a short emails telling how they are in trouble and any money that is donated would help in any way as possible and from that simple email, scammers load up on all the cash from the generous  people.

On average, it will take 65-190 billion dollars to just fix hurricane Harvey, not including the 2 million dollars in repair for Irma and 1 million minimum for Jose. These unforgettable storms are leaving an impact of the east coast. To make sure your money is not scammed, make sure the website you are using to donate is recognizable. Usually gofundme pages go straight to victims in need. If you receive an email from an unauthorized user, block whomever sent it and don’t send any information or donations to them.

With these simple steps, it will make sure the victims of the hurricanes are getting the help needed and you are getting the protection you need. The chain of hurricanes have created a disastrous situation for many Americans living in the affected areas, but the donations of others will help them grow once again.