People of the New Forest are being urged to be vigilant when donating to charities claiming to be collecting money for the Asian tsunami disaster.

The National Criminal Intelligence Service has identified several scams which are tricking members of the public into giving money to false charities.

The New Forest Community Safety Partnership is warning residents to be on the look out for unsolicited emails that request money be deposited in overseas banks, as well as false websites that are posing as legitimate relief organisations requesting donations. Some websites also contain hidden computer programmes that can infect computers with a virus when accessed.

New Forest Community Safety Partnership has the following advice to help people spot a scam:

• Do not respond to any unsolicited emails or text messages requesting money
• Ensure that contributions to non-profit organisations are used for intended purposes
• Contribute only to known charities and recognised outlets collecting on behalf of these charities
• Go directly to the websites of recognised charities and aid organisations rather than following a link to another site
• Try to verify the legitimacy of non-profit organisations. Genuine charities are all registered with the Charities Commission. A full list of registered charities is available from www.charities-commission.gov.uk

The partnership is not seeking to dissuade anyone from giving to charity. By following this simple advice people will be able to make well informed decisions about where to send their donations.

For more information contact the National Criminal Intelligence Service on 0870 268 8100.