Sometimes when you least expect it, here comes trouble. With the recent earthquake in Haiti it should not be a surprise to anyone that the scam artists are out in their numbers, and just in case you have forgotten just remember Hurricane Katrina and the extent to which they went to rob you of your hard earned dollars.

The lowest form of a “SCUM” artist is one that uses God as his or her chariot to ride in and fleece you of your hard earned cash. A check with the FBI confirmed a letter that was sent from someone who appears to be a female that sought financial support to help her during a time of need and the letter was headed “Dear Beloved Sister& Brother In Christ”. If this letter was genuine it would be one thing, however, closer scrutiny would establish that this was nothing short of a scam!

Here we go again with Haiti, while the players may be different, the game is still the same, wrest as much of your hard earned funds (especially in these difficult times) away from you as they can. To avoid any successful extractions by these “SCUM” artists simply follow some reasonable guidelines, use reputable established organizations that have a proven tract record (such as “American red cross”), If you are in doubt about the legitimacy of an organization, check with better “business bureau”. You can do your homework by checking up on the organizations yourself with either “Charity Navigator” or “GuideStar”.