14 DAY TRIAL // The Better Business Bureau (BBB) has issued an alert regarding several ongoing scams that try to capitalize on the BP oil spill environmental disaster. The organization mentions advance-fee job and compensation scams, as well fake charities asking for donations.
The Deepwater Horizon oil spill resulting from the explosion of a BP oil rig is one of the largest in human history and has wide-reaching implications. For one, it has significantly affected the fishing and tourism industries in the Gulf of Mexico region, leaving hundreds of thousands of people jobless. And as cybercriminals don't wait long to take advantage of others' misfortune, a lot of job scams are currently circulating on the Internet.
The BBB, an organization which strives to impose fair business practices, warns that many of these schemes require people to pay an upfront fee in order to obtain a job or special training that would allow them to qualify for oil spill clean up work. BBB advises people to research companies that offer oil spill-related employment opportunities extensively, and to check with BP if they are operating under a contract.
Another type of advance-fee scam, which is likely to land in people's inboxes, claims that recipients are eligible for compensation from BP. The emails advise people to submit a claim and ask for a fee in exchange of expediting the process. BBB advises that claims can be filed online via the BP website and more information can be obtained by calling the 1-800-440-0858 toll-free number.
Finally, the usual charity scams that follow most natural disasters have also made their presence felt, with people being encouraged to donate relief money. The BBB explains this is a special kind of disaster and you are better off volunteering to monitor the shoreline, donating food or providing free transportation. The organization has also compiled a list of verified charities involved in the oil spill clean up.