Even before Hurricane Gustav hit land, online scam artists were getting ready to take advantage of the disaster.

A lot of new Web sites claiming to collect money for hurricane victims starting springing up last week, security researchers said.

Nearly 100 domain names with words like “Gustav,” “charity” and “relief” have appeared, according to security training firm the SANS Institute. Many lead to legitimate relief efforts, though a similar domain push occurred after Hurricane Katrina three years ago, with many phony sites set up to steal donors’ money.

The Louisiana Attorney General’s office has also warned about an e-mail scam asking for credit card donations, allowing the scammers to steal people’s card numbers and other personal information.

To stay safe, experts recommend never responding to unsolicited e-mails that ask for credit card info, bank account numbers, etc.

Tags: donations, Gustav, identity theft, scams