419-style scammers exploit Haiti earthquake and Christmas arline bombing attempt

By Victor Ng | Jan 15, 2010

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Analysts from Symantec Hosted Services warn the public on two latest scams exploiting the very recent and devastating Haitian earthquake and the failed bombing attempt of the Detroit-bound plane on Christmas Day 2009:

419-style scammers seeking to exploit appeal for donations to support victims of Haitian earthquake

People all over the world are currently feeling a great deal of sympathy for the people of Haiti, who were recently hit by a severe earthquake. Humanitarian aid is being offered by many countries around the globe, and aid charities are looking for donations so that they can send all the help they can.

And then there are people who don’t want to help and will use any means to try and get those donations. '419' advance fee fraud scams are common and the perpetrators are always looking for new attention-grabbing topics which will trick people into handing over their money. Something like the humanitarian crisis of the Haiti earthquake is, sadly, a prime target for these scammers. They count on the public’s good nature, concern, and desire to help, and hope that they won’t see through the scam email which they are reading. The desire to help can often cloud a person's good judgement.

Below is a 419-style scam we have already seen:

They have used the correct postal address, and there is indeed a British Red Cross appeal for donations to help the victims of this disaster, but the BRC do not use Western Union for donations. Also, the email address supplied for contact is not one belonging to the BRC. Any money sent using the instructions in this email would not help anyone in Haiti, it would end up in the pockets of a cyber-criminal.

If you wish to make a donation to help fund the BRC humanitarian effort, you can do so via their website (http://www.redcross.org.uk). General advice is that at any time you learn of an appeal for donations that you wish to contribute to, you should contact the charity directly yourself to ensure that it is a genuine appeal, and that your money really is going where you want it to.

“Exploiting tragic world events for personal gain unfortunately seems perfectly acceptable for some cyber criminals, and the Haiti Earthquake 419 advance fee fraud example highlights that there are no boundaries on what they’ll attempt to profit from,” said Matt Nisbet, Malware Data Analyst, Symantec Hosted Services. “The public needs to be aware of such scams so that they can be more vigilant when visiting donation websites, ensuring vital donations arrive at the intended locations, rather than lining the scammers pockets.”

The blog post can be found here: https://www-secure.symantec.com/connect/blogs/419-style-scammers-seeking-exploit-appeal-donations-support-victims-haitian-earthquake

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