Talon Posted January 7, 2005 #1 Share Posted January 7, 2005 Warning about bogus aid appeals The National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) has warned the public to be wary when donating to the tsunami appeal because of a number of scams. Several cons have been identified, including e-mails offering to locate loved ones and requests for money to be deposited in overseas banks. Some are also using the disaster to spread computer viruses. The warning comes a day after the Charities Commission issued a warning about bogus charity collectors. Many of the e-mail scams are believed to follow the same pattern as the so-called 419 scams, many of which originate in Nigeria. An NCIS spokesman said: "We do not in any way wish to dissuade members of the public from donating money to the registered charity tsunami appeals. "But we urge them to exercise vigilance in order to prevent and disrupt these and other possible criminal scams." NCIS is warning: Do not respond to any unsolicited (SPAM) incoming e-mails Do not respond to text messages on mobile telephones from unknown sources Be sceptical of individuals claiming to be surviving victims or foreign government officials asking you to place large sums of money in overseas bank accounts Ensure that contributions to non-profit organisations are used for intended purposes. Contribute only to known charities and recognised outlets collecting on behalf of these charities. Go directly to the websites of recognised charities and aid organisations rather than following a link to another site. Try to verify the legitimacy of non-profit organisations (use internet-based resources to help confirm the existence of the organisation and its non-profit status) Genuine charities are all registered with the Charities Commission. For a full list visit the Charities Commission website : www.charities-commission.gov.uk Be wary of emails that claim to show pictures of disaster areas in attached files, as the files may contain viruses. Only open attachments from known senders. If any suspicious activity is reported to you, forward the details to NCIS at the following email address: tsunamifraud@ncis.x.gsi.gov.uk Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/uk/4156409.stm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Lottie Posted January 10, 2005 #2 Share Posted January 10, 2005 This is dreadful that people try and gain out of others misery and suffering. What a world we live in. Shame on them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AztecInca Posted January 11, 2005 #3 Share Posted January 11, 2005 These people can no longer claim to be human beings and deserve to be shot, trying to profit of the death and destruction caused by this tsunami is the lowest of the low! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Switch Posted January 13, 2005 #4 Share Posted January 13, 2005 Well, this could be a new wave in the Nigerian scams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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