There’s been an inevitable collection of Nepal themed scam emails and websites since the devastating Earthquake hit Nepal this past week. I actually came across a dubious looking donation website earlier today, but it’s already been covered in detail over at the Dynamoo Blog. No doubt we’ll see more of the same over the coming days and weeks – unfortunately it’s all but guaranteed.
We did catch one mail in the spam traps which has also been noted elsewhere [1], [2] – a 419 which is a general pitch aimed at reeling in an unsuspecting victim. There’s no hard sell here – just enough to get someone considering donating in some way to respond.
The mail reads as follows:
WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT.COALITION OF HELP THE DISPLACED PEOPLE Maharajgunj Rd, Kathmandu 44606, Nepal
Sir/Madam
May God be with you, your Organization and your Family.
We write to solicits your support for the up keep of the displaced people in the recent earth quack in our Country Nepal.
We need your help to take care of their needy, like Foods, Cloths, accommodation, health care,and so many other things.
Please what ever you can give to help will be highly welcome and appreciated by US.
May God Almighty who is the giver of things be with you and your Organization
Yours Faithfully.
Navesh Manejor. Coordinator.
Should you receive the above, don’t reply – just delete it (but not before flagging it for spam, assuming your mail provider allows for this).
Scammers riding on the coat-tails of disasters are the lowest of the low, and we need to remain vigilant in the face of their antics – every time they clean out a bank account, they’re denying possible aid to the victims of the quake and creating all new misery elsewhere. That’s quite the achievement…
Some resources:
* Donating safely * Spotting a fake email * Avoiding social engineering and phishing
Christopher Boyd
