Spammers try to make money out of Haiti Earthquake
Everyone knows that spammers are low lifes, but now they’ve sunk to a new low, trying to make money out of the Haiti Earthquake! If you want to donate, do so via the Disasters Emergency Committee’s website at www.dec.org.uk,
Below is a copy of a spam E:mail I received today. Never send money or divulge your personal details as a result of a unsolicited E:mail.
Haitian Diaspora Congress (UK) Response to Earthquake in Haiti
On January 12th, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck 10 miles outside the capital city of Haiti. The capital city has been devastated with collapsed buildings
and people trapped beneath the rubble. Full reports of casualties, damage and needs are not yet available.
We are co-orditaing activities towards providing relief materials, shelter and food to the displaced survivors of the disaster. As you are aware over one
hundred and fifty thousand innocent people including foreign aid workers have perished in this disaster. We are using this medium to solicite and appeal to
well meaning organization and individuals to rescue our people back home, by contributing towards helping the survivors. we request that you make a generous
donation of at least 100 pound(215 dollars) towards this cause. For further information on how you can be of help please email our coordinator;
David Charleston
Haitian Diaspora Congress,
LONDON, United Kingdom
e-mail: davcharleston@yahoo.co.ukThank you and God bless you as you support us in this difficult time.
Yours truly,
Jean Benoit
I received a similar e-mail yesterday:
The British Red Cross Society
British Red Cross
UK Office
44 Moorfields
London EC2Y 9AL
RED CROSS HAITI EARTHQUAKE APPEAL.
Dear Reader,
A devastating earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale struck Haiti on the 12 January 2010, killing thousands and affecting thousands more who are now in great need for help. Please we need your urgent help.
Relief aid workers from the Red Cross have already been arriving at the Haitian capital with relief materials.
Donations have been grouped into two categories:
1: GROUP A (£250 British Pounds to 1,000 British Pounds
2: GROUP B (£1,000 British Pounds and above
Donations are to be made payable immediately via western union money transfer immediately and directly to our donations accounts liaison officer as receiver’s name:
Liaison Officer: David Charleston
Location: London – UK
Please provide us via return email thee following information below as they appear on the western union transfer slip;
1. Sender’s name and address
2. Amount sent
3. MTCN
Note: At British Red Cross we are committed to protecting your privacy as a standard practice. We will not share your information unless you have previously indicated that you are happy for us to do so.
Please send return email with donations details to: davcharleston@yahoo.co.uk
Yours Sincerely,
Victoria Wood-Matthews
For: BRC
Here’s another one I’ve received today, this one looks as if it is from UNICEF, and even includes a link that looks as if it would take you to the UNICEF website, but it actually takes you to the scammers website.
date 17 January 2010 14:22
subject Haitians desperate for supplies.
hide details 14:22 (5 hours ago)
On the evening of January 12, a series of earthquakes with magnitude 6.5 to 7.3 struck Haiti in the highly populated area of Department Ouest, 10 miles from Port-au-Prince. Within hours of the earthquake, UNICEF made an initial contribution of $200,000 of our own funds for relief activities and as of this morning we have pledged a total of $1 million to the response effort in Haiti.
UNICEF is accepting public donations to support the Haitian response. You can do it, you can help by making a small donation to UNICEF International Response Fund (which is used to respond to disasters such as the Haiti earthquake).
If you wish to make a donation click on the following link :
(link to scammer’s website removed)
UNICEF does not anticipate accepting in-kind donations for this international response.
UNICEF has an extensive partnership with the Haitian UNICEF, which is expected to lead the UNICEF response to the earthquake. The Haitian UNICEF was founded in 1932 and is one of the primary organizations in the country responding to disasters. Although earthquakes are less common, Haiti is frequently impacted by hurricanes including those in 2008, and the Haitian UNICEF has developed experience in disaster response due those disasters.
As is typical in the immediate aftermath of an earthquake, the full extent of damage is unknown at this time. However, initial reports indicate a high number of casualties with widespread damage and collapsed buildings, creating an urgent need for search and rescue activities. As many as three million people may be affected. The International Federation of UNICEF and Red Crescent Societies (International Federation), as well as UN agencies and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) are deploying teams to coordinate humanitarian assistance and provide search and rescue services.
As with most earthquakes, we expect to see immediate needs for food, water, temporary shelter, medical services and emotional support. UNICEF has made available all of the relief supplies from its warehouse in Panama which would provide for the basic needs for approximately 5,000 families. In addition, at the International FederationЎЇs request, UNICEF is deploying a five-member Relief Emergency Response Unit (ERU) to manage the distribution of relief items to earthquake survivors. A disaster specialist is also en route to Haiti to support disaster assessments, and additional disaster specialists are on standby if needed.
Caryl M. Stern
President & CEO
U.S. Fund for UNICEF