As always happens after a disaster, scammers come out to take advantage. The situation with Haiti earthquake relief is no different.

Our friends at anti-virus partner F-Secure blogged about a typical scam that’s using “poisoned” search results to put malicious links in front of unsuspecting users searching for details on the Haiti earthquake. You can read their post here:

http://www.f-secure.com/weblog/archives/00001855.html

You can be certain that there are similar email-based scams circulating as well.

For safe ways to donate and tips on avoiding scams, see the following excellent article at Lifehacker. Donating in these ways is easy, safe and ensures that your contribution has the maximum positive effect:

Lifehacker: How and Where to Donate to Haiti (and Avoid Scams)

On a personal note: If you are able, I hope that you will join me in contributing what you can to help provide relief for the victims of this disaster. My personal relief charity of choice is the American Red Cross, accepting donations to help victims of the Haiti quake at the following URL. If you’re a US taxpayer, 100% of your donation is tax deductible. Please visit:

http://american.redcross.org/supporthaiti