Scammers Abuse British Red Cross Name within Fake E-Mails

According to the British Red Cross, Internet fraudsters are reportedly on the prowl attempting at cashing in on the recent catastrophe and destruction which arose from the enormous tsunami and earthquake in Japan on March 11, 2011. Marketwatch.com published this on March 14, 2011.

Prominently, the British Red Cross (BRC) in UK is an arm of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, a global organization which upholds the humanitarian rights of people all over the world.

It's said that the scam e-mails the fraudsters are circulating pose as communication that the BRC sent, asking for donations from people, while instructing them to deposit the amount into one Moneybrookers' account that's actually a fake.

Remarking about this fraud, Director of fund-raising Mark Astarita for the BRC stated that the organization knew about the fraudulent e-mail, which directed people to credit money into an account, apparently for helping Japan. But the account had no association with Japan's appeal to the organization. The BRC didn't ever request netizens for making money transfers other than asking to donate through its website else via a telephone call. The organization criticized the current attempt at exploiting people's benevolence, while realizing that anybody could just seek for capitalizing on human suffering through intentionally grabbing money intended for those requiring help, Astarita articulated. Allmediascotland.com published this on March 15, 2011.

However, the scam is under investigation by the British Red Cross, which has already made sure that the bogus account isn't active any longer.

Worryingly, alongside the BRC, the Better Business Bureau is also alerting about bogus charity fraud electronic mails, which purportedly utilize the names of genuine charitable organizations. The Bureau highlights that these bogus charities send people unsolicited e-mails, or contact them over phone, which can't be relied upon.

Eventually, for remaining safe, it is recommended that donors themselves get in tough with the donation collecting firms after browsing their websites carefully. And incase the charity can't be contacted easily, then that's a sign that the organization is a fake. Further, while giving donations, no cash payment or wire-transfer should be resorted to, it's advised.

Related article: Scammers Exploit Tax System Resulting in ID Theft

» SPAMfighter News - 3/25/2011