As if the devastating impact of Hurricane Katrina were not enough on its own, the FBI now reports that there has been an influx of fraudulent Web sites and e-mails soliciting charitable donations supposedly to aid the victims of this natural disaster. In this unseemly climate, the FBI provides specific guidance to people who are evaluating online options for funding Katrina relief efforts.

First, the FBI recommends against responding to unsolicited emails relating to the hurricane recovery and funding for victims.

Next, the FBI urges interested persons to go directly to the Web sites for recognized charities and aid organizations to ensure contributions to U.S. based nonprofit organizations are used for intended purposes. This is a better practice than following links to other sites.

In addition, the FBI suggests that attempts should be made to verify the legitimacy of nonprofit organizations. This can be done by utilizing various Internet-based resources that can assist in confirming the existence of an organization and its nonprofit status.

Finally, the FBI warns against emails that purport to show photographs of hurricane disaster areas in attached files, because these files may contain viruses. The agency recommends that attachments only be opened from known senders.

The FBI invites persons who are aware of fraudulent online conduct relating to Katrina to file a complaint at www.IC3.gov. If you know of such fraud, please do consider contacting the FBI, so that we can do our best to ensure that donations find their way to victims who are in dire need, and not to those perpetrating scams.

Eric Sinrod is a partner in the San Francisco office of Duane Morris (www.duanemorris.com), where he focuses on litigation matters of various types, including information technology disputes. His column appears Wednesdays at USATODAY.com. His Web site is www.sinrodlaw.com, and he can be reached at . To receive a weekly e-mail link to Mr. Sinrod's columns, please send an e-mail with the word Subscribe in the Subject line to .

Disclaimer: This column is prepared and published for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. The views expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the author's law firm or its individual partners.

Reprinted here with permission from USAToday.com.