People, who desire to donate for people stranded in Burma since the enormous cyclone storm, Nargis, are being asked to remain vigilant of e-mails that could direct them to deceitful Websites, as reported by TIMESONLINE on May 11, 2008.
The UK aid-coordinating agency, the Disasters Emergency Committee, raised an appeal for generous aid to help people in the tragedy struck country, saying that, it was needed immediately and in vast amounts as reported by TIMESONLINE on May 11, 2008.
According to various reports received, Cyclone, Nargis, hit Burma on May 2, 2008, wreaking havoc in the city. Officials at the UN estimate that the death toll on account of the cyclone is about 31,938 and the number of missing people to be 29,770. However, the statistics show a continuous rise with passing of each day. Meanwhile, phishers are trying to make most out of the catastrophic situation in Burma by designing Websites that spoof the UN and by distributing bogus e-mails to people intending to donate.
According to reports published in TIMESONLINE, e-mail scams exploiting the Burmese disaster to divert people to counterfeit charity Websites seem to have increased fears of phishing attacks. However, the sector taking care of the charities is encouraging donations that are more transparent, and at the same time educating donors to make their contributions only through registered charities. The site charitycommission.gov.uk has been established to check if a charitable institution is registered or not.
While the UN has made this call, the Federal Trade Commission too has alerted about phony fundraisers who are using similar phishing tactics in the name of helping people affected in the Myanmar cyclone, as reported by COMPUTERWORLD on May 13, 2008.
In a warning for people about the latest e-mail scam, Nargis cyclone, Richard J. Kolko, Special Agent of the FBI National Press Office, said that different kinds of Internet fraud are proliferating so people should take necessary precautions to safeguard themselves, as reported by COMPUTERWORLD on May 13, 2008.
In similar news of spammers and phishers using natural calamities to fill their pockets, three years back in 2005, many prospective donors were exploited through phishing Websites created after the Hurricane Katrina in the US.
