I’m always amazed by humans’ response to natural disasters. You hear amazing stories of survival, see extreme acts of compassion, and a general goodwill from the rest of the world to help rebuild the affected area. And then, you have the scammers. Forbes published an article this morning about people who rushed to register pertinent domain names, some claiming they do intend to actually help victims. However, many of these sites also popped up after Katrina and the Haiti disaster. Forbes also links to articles with tips to spot a fake relief organization. There are hundreds of legitimate and reputable organizations that deal with these kinds of disasters all the time, and I would recommend going through one of them vs. choosing an independent source. It’s unfortunate that in the aftermath of this disaster, people still find a way to take advantage of the situation. This is one effect of the digital age… while the news spread faster, with more raw footage, and more accurate pictures of what’s happening, it also allows scammers to make a buck faster.