Hurricane Katrina Donation Awareness

By now we are all aware of the plight of the survivors whose lives have been forever altered by Hurricane Katrina. Most of us want to step up and help in any way we can. For many, that means donating to an organization or agency with the funds earmarked for the survivors. Everywhere we turn, there are invitations to make donations. The response has been gratifying and everyone's efforts are beginning to pay off.

Unfortunately there are unscrupulous individuals who will take advantage of this grim situation. The most notable opportunity for fraud and deceit is coming via the Internet with invitations for you to help the survivors by making a donation on–line. How do you tell the difference between a bona fide site and a site that is out to defraud you? Following are a few cautionary tips to protect you.

• Make sure the web site has a privacy policy and read it.

• Use a virus protection on your PC.

• Do not transmit any personal information if you do not have a firewall in place.

• Even if you have a firewall, store personal information on a disk not on your hard drive.

• Do not allow websites to store your credit card numbers.

• Do not respond to any email or follow links that ask for personal information.

These are just a few tips that might safeguard you while you reach out to the survivors of Katrina. The best idea: donate to a reputable relief agency, such as the Red Cross or Northwest Medical Teams, that you know will appropriately use the money you so generously donated.

Please contact Canopy if you wish for further information.

Portland Metro Area: 503–639–3009 • Salem Area: 503–588–0777 • Toll Free: 1–800–433–2320