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Scammers look to take advantage of the general public’s generosity toward those in need during natural disasters and wartime with phony efforts to raise funds for charitable purposes, and the Russia-Ukraine war is providing such an opportunity.

Though several national media outlets have warned of such scams, including people reportedly seeking help to leave Ukraine, no such scams have yet been reported locally to the Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office.

Katherine Breaux, the IPSO Public Affairs Director, provided tips to help people be aware of and avoid falling into the traps set by scammers.

Scammers pretend to be from an organization people know, Breaux said. They will say there is a problem or a prize, and pressure people to pay immediately and to pay a specific way.

The following are some tips offered by the Iberia Parish Sheriff’s Office on how to deal with potential scams:

• Don’t give your personal or financial information. Legitimate organizations won’t call, email or text to ask for your personal information, like your Social Security, bank account, or credit card numbers.

• Never pay someone who insists you pay with a gift card or by using a money transfer service. And never deposit a check and send money back to someone.

• If you get an email or text message from a company you do business with and you think it’s real, it’s still best not to click on any links.

Instead, contact them using a website you know is trustworthy. Or look up their phone number. Don’t call a number they gave you or the number from your caller ID.

• Use extreme caution with someone you’ve met online.

Breaux said she has found in the past when elderly people report scams they do not understand that the reason the scammer may know their name, address, age, etc., is because they have gotten it from the White Pages online.

When the scammer gives that information to the person they are trying to scam, they think they are legit and give personal financial information