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The Federal Trade Commission and other consumer advocates are warning of scammers who are attempting to take advantage of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  The agencies are reporting an uptick in the number of complaints received from consumers.

Certain scams are targeting unemployed persons who may be looking for cleanup work related to the spill.  Scam artists are approaching job seekers and asking for an up-front fee to be placed in a spill-related position. In addition, other scam artists are hoping to cash in on the spill by selling “training” to work in a spill remediation.

Other reported scams include email notifications that the recipient is eligible for spill-related compensation. The phony notification seeks upfront fees to process spill-related claims against BP.

Spill-related charity scams are also on the rise. Potential donors are cautioned to work only with registered charities to make donations of money and materials.

Here are a few tips to help you avoid oil-spill related scams.

Up-front fee scams are especially popular and tend to surface during a catastrophe.  While legitimate spill-related jobs are open, and affected states are working to mitigate the damage to shorelines and wildlife habitats, job seekers are urged to work with recognized state agencies to help identify legitimate job openings.  Job seekers are cautioned never to pay a fee for a job, or for placement services.  Most information on open positions are available at no cost in the affected areas. Training will be provided after candidates have been hired. No additional training beyond what is offered through the employer is needed.

State agencies have set up legitimate mechanisms to file spill-related claims.  If you have been affected by the spill, your state will have information on how you can file a claim for damages with BP. In addition, claimants are encouraged to work with an attorney to file and monitor their claim. Do not pay fees to “expedite” claim processing. BP has made some payments to state agencies for urgent remediation and relief needs, but distributions of these payments will be handled by state agencies in the affected areas.

For charitable donations, givers are encouraged to work directly with only recognized environmental charities, wildlife charities and relief agencies. If you are not sure that a charity is legitimate, you can check the charity’s status using an online resource like GuideStar.

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