CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) -In the wake of major disasters like the devastating flooding in Texas, and as hurricane season kicks off with Hurricane Erin, people with good intentions want to help rebuild.

But unfortunately, scammers see community members’ generosity as moments of opportunity.

When emotions are high after a natural disaster, things move quickly, for disaster relief efforts---and scammers.

“In the days and weeks after disaster, we see an uptick in scammers impersonating trusted organizations and really coming in to offer help that sounds legitimate, when it’s not,” said Blythe Figarelli with USAA.

She says these imposter charity scams, and fake donation sites or crowdfunding pages pop up in response to natural disasters.

They may look real, but the money never reaches anyone

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