Scammers Asking Donations for Haiti Earthquake Victims

As per the news reports, criminal groups have been exploiting Haiti earthquake to the maximum by collecting funds by means of fake online charities. The criminals have been distributing several spam e-mails, some of which use authentic charities logos.

UNICEF recently issued an alert that hackers are exploiting their name for bogus donation requests, asserting that the money will be used for the Haiti earthquake relief.

UNICEF Australia spokesman, Martin Thomas, stated that they know there are numerous fake mails that claim to be from UNICEF, but one particular case has left a deep impact, and that is a mail claiming to be from the Chief UNICEF representative in Haiti and asking for donations, as reported by ABC News on February 19, 2010.

Thomas said that it is a forged e-mail and it is not their representative. Further, it disturbs the overall aid effort and the UNICEF workers.

One of the bogus e-mails attacking New Zealanders says that the premises of UNICEF in Port-au-Prince have suffered severe damage and their communication facilities have got disrupted. It appeals people to voluntarily lend their support to help homeless Haitians.

The mail further asks the user to donate the fund to a bogus e-mail address that belongs to the secretary of some non-existent agency.

Moreover, it is not just UNICEF that was hit by Haiti scam. British Red Cross had already been exploited in a similar scam.

Thus, communications director of the Internet Industry Association of Australia, John Hilvert suggested users to avoid replying to unwanted mails, irrespective of their luring factor, reported ABC News on February 19, 2010.

He also added that users who have been concerned about the victims of the Haiti earthquake can be easily deceived.

The security experts claimed that people are recommended to donate funds to familiar organizations so that they can ensure that donations will be used for the intended purposes.

» SPAMfighter News - 04-03-2010

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