Whether or not you live in the path of Superstorm Sandy you are no doubt aware of the damage it caused. The storm left many homes damaged by rain, wind and water. Oddly enough, in the midst of the flooding, houses caught on fire and many homes were destroyed. Personal belongings were lost. Millions were without electrical power or heat as the weather turned sharply colder. With food spoiling, limited suitable conditions for meal preparation, and non-existent transportation, Sandy's victims urgently needed help in many different forms.

Although the government sent in drinking water and other supplies to help with immediate needs, it would be days, weeks, or months before everything was cleaned up and repairs could be made to make the damaged houses livable again. With so many needing help, and a limited supply of workers and materials, the situation is ripe for fraud.

Fraud is an unfortunate reality in our post disaster environment. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, a nonprofit group which maintains data and information on insurance fraud, as the initial recovery from Hurricane Sandy began, people were devising schemes to target the victims of Hurricane Sandy and those who want to help them.

According to Internet domain research site DomainTools, nearly 1,100 Internet addresses related to Sandy have been registered since last Friday. This is not uncommon in the wake of a disaster. The Domain name reference "Sandy" and other words such as "hurricane", "frankenstorm", "aid" and "relief" are common in the newly created web sites. Not all such sites are used in furtherance of a scheme to defraud, but many are. Too many are designed specifically to dupe unwitting consumers out of money.

Americans are a caring people; that's what makes us a great nation. Those of us who were not directly affected by Hurricane Sandy, empathize with those who were. American generosity is a powerful tool for helping those in need. It can also be misused to enrich those for whom it is not intended.

You can avoid falling victim to charity scams by doing a little research before sending money. Donating money may be as simple as clicking on the donate button, but unless you want your money going into the pockets of scammers, you may want to heed these tips: