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<DIV>We have several friends around here who are from the area, and it =
has been
devastating. However, as Wim mentioned, I would be very =
careful about
where & how you give. We had some friends up in northern =
Alberta who
told us about a guy in the local Red Cross who rigged things so donation =
deposits were going into his off-shore account. By the time they
discovered it, several hundred grand were gone...& so was =
he. As
well, seemingly legitimate websites can be used as scams with just a bit =
of
extra code. The problem with getting scammed is that =
nobody who
really needs it gets help....& you also lose your tax deduction, so =
the
bureaucratic crooks take what's left! </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Give with compassion, but don't be a "bleeding heart" -- they'll =
line up to
drain you dry.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Otto</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV> ----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
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<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: =
black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=Wimblees@aol.com =
href="mailto:Wimblees@aol.com">Wimblees@aol.com</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=caut@ptg.org
href="mailto:caut@ptg.org">caut@ptg.org</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, September 02, =
2005 6:24
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: News from a Friend =
-- Re:
[CAUT] Re: Katrina</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV><FONT id=role_document face=Arial color=#000000 =
size=2>
<DIV>I don't want to sound like an alarmist, but please make sure the =
address
of the Red Cross at the end of the article is legitimate. I am =
starting to
hear that there are people taking advantage of this situation by =
scamming
us. I am not sure, but I don't believe a single Red Cross unit would =
be asking
for money. To be safe, just make a donation to your local =
Red Cross.
They will get it to the right people. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Wim
<DIV><FONT lang=0 face=Arial size=2 PTSIZE="10" =
FAMILY="SANSSERIF">Willem
Blees, RPT<BR>Piano Technician<BR>School of Music<BR>University of
Alabama</FONT></DIV></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></BODY></HTML>