RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – The heart-wrenching plight of the victims of the recent hurricanes which bashed the United States and Caribbean is prompting many of us to open our wallets to help.

But beware!

There are scammers hiding out on the internet, preying on the heartbreak you witness just so they can steal your money.

One of the most trusted sources for relief is the Red Cross when a disaster happens.

When you donate to them or another long-established organization, you know exactly where your money is going.

But, on the internet, there’s lots of folks hiding on the dark side of web just waiting to pounce on your good nature when disaster strikes and you want to help.

Just ask Dario Graham who ran across an internet charity request for hurricane victims.

“They were doing a thing on Facebook asking for credit cards and I was skeptical about putting my credit card on Facebook,” Graham said.

And he’s right to be leery. Before Harvey or Irma ever made landfall, the scammers were out there, anticipating ways to rip you off.

When CBS North Carolina checked The Center For Internet Security’s website, we discovered an alert that had been posted warning about scammers trying to use the hurricanes as a reason to steal money.

The CIS reported registrations containing “Irma” spiked dramatically even before Irma ever arrived.

Since September 1, the CIS charted 743 new websites with the name Irma, many of them including words like victims, relief, help, and claims.

The question is – are they legit?

We’ve seen internet hurricane charity scams before. After Hurricane Sandy devastated the New York and New Jersey areas, officials shut down what they said was a fake charity site which they said that raised more than a half million dollars.

The best advice: educate yourself.

“You have to do research,” says Barry Porter, the CEO of the Triangle area chapter of the Red Cross. “Know your charities like the American Red Cross, The Salvation Army or other local charities in the area established before the storm. They’ll be the legitimate charities to which you should make a donation.”

North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein offers more advice.

  • Use Give.org, charitywatch.org, charitynavigator.org or guidestar.org, to check out charity websites
  • Don’t respond to unsolicited emails and text messages asking you to give money
  • Don’t respond to door to door solicitors asking you for hurricane relief funds
  • Don’t give phone solicitors any credit card or personal information

Here is more advice from Stein’s office about giving to charity.