It is a sad fact of life that no misfortune is so bad that someone won’t try to take advantage of it. Our hearts go out to the victims of Hurricane Harvey, and our gratitude to those offering help to those affected by the catastrophic storm. We all should be thankful for our blessings, and generous in our own relief efforts. Even so, be mindful that this type of event also brings out cyber scammers looking to profit from the compassion of others. As the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) advises, “remain vigilant for malicious cyber activity seeking to capitalize on interest in Hurricane Harvey.” See the US-CERT’s website for warnings and suggested preventative measures.

Please be both liberal in your support, and prudent in your approach. Make sure your dollars go to the needy, not the greedy.

Check out our series, Privacy Perils, to learn what steps you can take to guard your personal and company data. For more information about this topic and other cyber security concerns, please contact a member of our Privacy & Data Security team.