Burbank police caution against fire recovery scams

The Burbank Police Department warned area residents Monday of criminals claiming affiliation with charities or nonprofits providing assistance to victims of the recent Los Angeles County wildfires that have caused a mounting death toll and destroyed thousands of buildings.

Scammers are targeting donors and fire victims in an effort to exploit their distress and concern, police said. The department provided these warnings to help people recognize and avoid scams:

• “Be cautious when donating to fire relief efforts. Always verify the legitimacy of the charity or organization, especially if they reached out to you directly. Use trusted platforms like Charity Navigator to check the legitimacy of organizations before donating.

• “Don’t give your personal or financial information in response to a request that you didn’t expect. Beware of unsolicited phone calls or text messages asking for donations for fire recovery. Honest organizations won’t call, email or text to ask for your personal information, like your social security, bank account or credit card numbers.

• “Resist the pressure to act immediately. Legitimate organizations will give you time to decide. Anyone who pressures you to pay or give them your personal information is a scammer.

• “Know how scammers seek payment. Never pay someone who insists that you can only pay with cryptocurrency, a wire transfer service like Western Union or MoneyGram, a payment app or a gift card. And never deposit a check and send money back to someone.

• “Beware of fake city, county or federal employees. Do not trust anyone who approaches you claiming to be a representative of the city, county or federal government without proper identification. Government workers will not ask for payment for services on the spot or pressure you into making immediate decisions. Verify their credentials by contacting the relevant agency directly using official contact information, not the details they provide.

• “Stop and talk to someone you trust. Before you do anything else, tell someone — a friend, a family member, a neighbor — what happened. Taking about it could help you realize it’s a scam.”

Burbank police asked the public to always report suspicious activity via the department’s 24-hour nonemergency line, 818-238-3000.

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