New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman warned Aug. 30 about being wary of unscrupulous charitable efforts when making donations to help hurricane victims in Texas and Louisiana. “Unfortunately, there are always some who attempt to take advantage of a tragedy to line their own pockets at the expense of those who are truly in need," he said, mentioning unsolicited phone calls as being especially suspect. Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple warned about Facebook pages and bogus charity websites soliciting donations for flood victims. "These cyber criminals are exploiting this disaster by using fake social media accounts and websites. Whenever a natural disaster strikes, many of us ask, how can we help? Giving to help those impacted is good, but it's important to donate to a legitimate charity that has experience getting help to those affected quickly," Apple said in a statement released by his office Aug. 30. In Albany Sept. 1 there will be a benefit concert at The Low Beat to help the Galveston County Food Bank. Some of the performers include Graham Tichy & Ian Carlton, Michael Eck, Steve Candlen, and Andy Sink and the Pool Boys. The local Red Cross reports they have many volunteers signed up to help. “We are over loaded with volunteers right now,” said Kimmy Venter, the regional communications director for the Red Cross. The Red Cross did announce new training sessions for potential volunteers Sept. 5 in the Red Cross office at 33 Everett Road in Albany; Sept. 7 in a location still to be determined in Poughkeepsie; Sept. 9 in a location still to be determined in Utica; Sept. 13 in the Saratoga Music Hall, 474 Broadway, Saratoga Springs.