A hurricane-season scammer can start the day with coffee and a spreadsheet.
asserted
scammer → start → coffee
That spreadsheet may hold names, ages, addresses, phone numbers and family details.
uncertain
spreadsheet → hold → names
A scammer might buy that information, pull it from people-search sites or piece it together from public sources.
uncertain
scammer → buy → sources
That means hurricane charity scams can start before a storm even hits.
asserted
storm → mean → ?
By the time a hurricane dominates the news, a fraudster may already know who could respond to a donation pitch.
uncertain
who → dominate → pitch
September is National Preparedness Month, and this year's theme is "Americans Stand Ready."
asserted
Americans → stand → ?
While FEMA urges you to make an emergency plan and build a kit, scammers are looking for ways to turn a disaster into a payday.
asserted
scammers → urge → payday
In this free live online class, Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson will show you five practical ways AI can help you take a more active role in your healthcare.
asserted
you → show → healthcare
You’ll learn how to organize your health history, remember important appointment details, understand complicated medical information, research prescriptions and prepare questions for your next doctor’s visit.
asserted
You → learn → visit
No technical experience is needed.
asserted
experience → need → ?
Register for free now at CyberGuyLive.com
How hurricane charity scams can target you before a storm
Charity scammers do not have to wait for a disaster to start looking for targets.
asserted
scammers → register → targets
Data brokers and marketers have spent years collecting information about where people live, what they buy and how they respond to solicitations.
asserted
they → spend → solicitations
One Justice Department case shows how dangerous that kind of targeting can become.
asserted
kind → show → targeting
Epsilon Data Management used transactional data and a database covering 100 million U.S. households to identify "responsive buyers."
asserted
Management → use → buyers
Prosecutors said two executives, Robert Reger and David Lytle, spent about a decade knowingly selling targeted lists to fraudsters.
asserted
executives → say → fraudsters
One client used those lists to defraud more than 218,000 people out of over $23.7 million.
asserted
client → use → million
More than 12,000 victims got hit more than 20 times.
asserted
victims → hit → times
A judge sentenced Reger to 10 years in prison and Lytle to four years.
asserted
judge → sentence → years
Epsilon also paid $150 million in penalties and victim compensation, with $122 million returned to more than 200,000 victims.
asserted
million → pay → victims
The Epsilon prosecution focused on mass-mailing fraud rather than hurricane charity scams.
asserted
prosecution → focus → scams
Still, it shows how personal data and behavioral signals can help fraudsters choose targets before a pitch lands.
asserted
pitch → show → targets
Separate FBI data shows the cost of charity fraud.
asserted
data → show → fraud
The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center recorded 662 charity complaints and $7,907,609 in reported losses in 2025.
asserted
Center → record → 2025
Why fake charity scams can reach almost anyone
asserted
scams → reach → anyone
A scammer does not need a history of bad donations to target you.
asserted
scammer → need → you
Fraudsters can reach people through purchased lists, public records, robocalls and other marketing channels.
asserted
Fraudsters → reach → lists
James Trankle ran three fake charities, including the "Disabled and Paralyzed Veterans Fund," the "National Breast Cancer Awareness Fund" and the "Children's Leukemia of America Fund."
asserted
Trankle → run → America
He mailed solicitations to thousands of people and collected more than 1,600 personal checks.
asserted
He → mail → checks
Then he used donor banking information to create counterfeit checks.
asserted
he → use → checks
A judge sentenced him to five years in prison.
asserted
judge → sentence → prison
Travis Peterson ran a six-year scheme using millions of robocalls and other outreach to solicit donations for sham veterans' charities.
asserted
Peterson → run → charities
Prosecutors said he often targeted senior citizens.
asserted
he → say → citizens
A judge sentenced him to 41 months in prison and ordered him to pay $541,032.10 in restitution.
asserted
judge → sentence → restitution
These cases show why an unexpected charity pitch deserves a closer look, especially when the caller already knows personal details about you.
asserted
caller → show → you
Why hurricane charity scams get worse after storms
Natural disasters create urgency and confusion while bringing out people's desire to help.
asserted
disasters → get → desire
Scammers know that.
asserted
Scammers → know → that
After Hurricane Helene, FEMA warned that thieves may try to use stolen names, addresses and Social Security numbers to apply for assistance in other people's names.
uncertain
thieves → warn → names
FEMA also warned residents to be alert for impostors posing as inspectors or disaster workers.
asserted
FEMA → warn → inspectors
The FTC has warned that scammers quickly exploit weather emergencies with fake charities and copycat organizations.
asserted
scammers → warn → charities
Some imitate real charity names or create websites that appear tied to a disaster.
asserted
that → imitate → disaster
…and 33 more, not listed.
The Aporia
