How hurricane charity scams target you before storms hit, tell me about this news in (https://www.foxnews.com/tech/how-hurricane-charity-scams-target-you-before-storms-hit)

The article from Fox News, written by Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson, explains how fraudsters prepare and launch hurricane charity scams well before extreme weather even makes landfall.

Here are the key takeaways from the report:

1. Targeting Victims in Advance with Data: Scammers do not wait for a disaster to hit before preparing. Instead, they obtain detailed personal datasuch as names, ages, phone numbers, home addresses, and family detailsvia data brokers, people-search websites, and public records. By analyzing behavioral data and purchase histories, bad actors identify households that are more likely to respond to urgent donation appeals.

2. The Power of Broker Lists (The Epsilon Case): The report cites a major Department of Justice case involving Epsilon Data Management, where executives knowingly sold targeted consumer lists to fraudsters. That operation defrauded hundreds of thousands of people out of tens of millions of dollars, underscoring how accessible consumer profiles make it easy for mass-solicitation scams to pinpoint responsive targets.

3. High Financial Impact: The article notes FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) findings highlighting millions of dollars in losses tied directly to fake charity schemes each year. Scammers reach individuals not only through customized email lists, but also through automated robocalls, text messages, and social media campaigns.

4. Exploiting Urgency and Emotion: During hurricane season and National Preparedness Month, public awareness of natural disasters is elevated. Scammers capitalize on this heightened emotional state, creating synthetic or impersonated charity names that sound remarkably similar to well-known disaster relief organizations to rush donors into sending money before verifying credentials.

5. Key Protective Advice: The report emphasizes being proactive:

• Verify charitable organizations independently through recognized charity watchdogs or official registries before giving.

• Avoid clicking on unsolicited links in text messages, social media posts, or emails asking for immediate storm relief funds.

• Be skeptical of high-pressure tactics or requests for non-traditional payment methods like gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency.

• Consider removing your personal details from public data broker sites to limit how easily your contact information can be purchased and targeted.