MADISON, Wis. (11/1/07)--CUNA Mutual Group is advising credit unions to warn their members about online scams relating to the California wildfires.

Websense Inc., a web filtering and desktop security software provider, announced that its security research team has discovered suspicious online scams designed by criminals to steal money from those donating to the California fire effort.

"There are criminals who attempt to divert monies intended for the victims by creating bogus online donation websites and advertising them on high-traffic websites," said Dan Hubbard, Websense vice president of security research. "These criminals are trying to take advantage of the amazing outpouring of support locally, statewide and internationally."

CUNA Mutual has issued a Risk Alert to its bond policyholder credit unions advising them to alert their members to the scams and encouraging them to follow these loss-prevention recommendations provided by Websense:

Ensure donations go to legitimate organizations;

Contact donation organizations;

Go to websites rather than clicking on e-mail links;

Remember that legitimate organizations will not aggressively approach people for money;

Be mindful of groups saying they are affiliated with legitimate organizations and who ask for donations or request visits to their websites. They may be fraudulent or hosting malicious code designed to steal personal financial information;

Be wary of online auctions that claim to support the donation effort; and

Report suspicious Internet sites and e-mails to the government, and for additional protection tips, visit the Internet Crime Compliant Center.

CUNA Mutual has added a link to its website for CUAid, a national online giving center for credit unions sponsored by the National Credit Union Foundation (NCUF). All contributions made through the site will go to the NCUF Disaster Relief Fund.