Myth or Reality? Avoiding Haiti Relief Hoaxes

In the wake of the disaster in Haiti, people from all over the globe have joined together to raise funds and gather supplies to help those whose lives were destroyed in the earthquake. However, because the Internet is jam-packed with rumors, you must be certain that the aid you believe you are providing is an actuality. Here are some of the major myths and facts circulating the Net right now about relief efforts in Haiti.

Myths:

1. Phone companies are tracking a certain text message and will donate 25 cents every time the message is forwarded. This is false information. No texts are being tracked. If they were, this information would be released and well publicized.

2. UPS is offering free shipping to Haiti for packages less than 50 lbs. Although UPS did donate one million dollars to the relief effort, they are unable to help by delivering packages because shipments to Haiti have been suspended entirely for the time being. UPS has no way of getting these packages there even if they were offering free shipping.¹

3. Facebook is tracking a status and donating a dollar every time it is reposted and kept as current status for at least an hour. Yet another hoax. Facebook stated the following on its official fan page: "Beware of scams and hoaxes and ensure your donations for Haiti get to the right places. Contrary to current meme, Facebook is not donating $1 for statuses..." ²

4. Jet Blue and American Airlines are offering free flights to Haiti for doctors and nurses. This first originated on Twitter and it is false information. Though the airlines are trying to aid in many ways, they are not offering free flights. ³

5. Haitians can now travel to the United States and have temporary protected status. Though the Haitians who were in the United States illegally prior to the earthquake are now eligible to receive temporary protected status, this does not apply to people traveling over now.⁴

Facts:

1. You can donate to the relief effort by charging your phone via text message. The American Red Cross allows people in the US to text HAITI to 90999 to easily donate $10 to the recovery effort. ⁵ You can also donate $10 to the Clinton-Bush Haiti Fund by texting QUAKE to 20222 ⁶ and, by texting YELE to 501501, you can donate $5 to Yele Haiti, musician Wyclef Jean's foundation to aid Haiti⁷.

2. Zynga, a social gaming company best known for its Facebook game Farmville, is donating 100% of their profits from sales of certain virtual items in the games Farmville, Mafia Wars and Poker to help in Haiti. This is true, so if you play these games, note that 100% of the proceeds, not just a portion, are to go to Zynga's fund for Haiti. ⁸

3. T-Mobile is not charging international long distance fees for calls to Haiti. This is true and will apply for calls to Haiti from January 12, 2010 through January 31, 2010. ⁹

Everyone wants to make an effort to help mend this nation, but it is necessary to research to be certain what you're doing is helping. Arm yourself with information and do not fall for these hoaxes.

Sources:

1. UPS Blog: blog.ups.com/2010/01/13/ups-donates-1-million-to-haitian-relief-%E2%80%93-here%E2%80%99s-how-you-can-help/

2. Facebook's Official Fan Page: www.facebook.com/facebook

3. CNN: Twitter Hoax Spreads Rumors of Airlines' Free Flights to Haiti: edition.cnn.com/2010/TECH/01/14/twitter.hoax.haiti/

4. CNN: Haitians in the US can Apply for Protected Status: www.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/01/15/haitians.us/index.html

5. American Red Cross: American Red Cross Releases $10 Million to Help Haiti: www.redcross.org/portal/site/en/menuitem.94aae335470e233f6cf911df43181aa0/

6. The White House: Haiti Earthquake Relief: www.whitehouse.gov/haitiearthquake_embed

7. Yele Haiti Foundation: yele.org/

8. Zynga Blog: blog.zynga.com/2010/01/zynga-creates-haiti-relief-fund.html

9. T-Mobile USA Press Release: www.t-mobile.com/company/PressReleases_Article.aspx