Emailed Pleas For Donations For Japan Earthquake Relief May Be A Scam-Truth!

Emailed Pleas For Donations For Japan Earthquake Relief May Be A Scam-Truth!

Summary of the eRumor:
Scammers may be sending out cleverly disguised emails with a plea for compassion to help victims of devastated Japan.

The Truth:
With the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, we're all watching with concern the developments that are unfolding there.

Unfortunately, there are scammers who always emerge to take advantage of a disaster like this.

If you receive emails from relief organizations asking you to donate money to help the victims, do not respond to them even if they are from an organization you ordinarily know and trust.

The reason is that the scammers create phony emails that look convincing, that look like they are from the American Red Cross or the Salvation Army or other organization but in reality the emails don't route your donation to any legitimate organization but rather to a site erected by the scammers.

The result is that they not only get your money but they also now have your credit card information, which is their main goal.

Here is what TruthOrFiction.com recommends:

If you receive an email soliciting funds for disaster victims, do not reply to it or click any links in the email but rather go directly to that organization's official web site and make your donation there. Better yet, if they have a toll-free phone number for you to call and make a donation, that will be even safer. If you don't know the web site, use Google or some other search engine to find it. Just Google "International Red Cross" or "Salvation Army" or "World Vision," or whatever the name of the organization is. If you're not sure of an organization offered in the email it will be safer to ignore it. It might be a fake group created by crooks.

Be advised that the fake emails will look very authentic including links or email addresses that look legitimate, but if you click any of those links in a scammer's message, they won't go to the actual web site of the organization they are pretending to be.

The victims of this disaster deserve our help and support and you deserve to have your contribution give safely.

updated 03-15-2011

A real example of the eRumor as it has appeared on the Internet:

SUBJECT: TSUNAMI DONATIONS

Dear Friend

As you read this, I don't want you to feel sorry for me, because, I believe everyone will die someday.

My name is Andrew Adams a merchant in PHILIPPINES, I have been diagnosed with Esophageal cancer .It has defiled all forms of medical treatment, and right now I have only about a few months to live, according to medical experts. I have not particularly lived my life so well, as I never really cared for anyone (not even myself) but my business. Though I am very rich, I was never generous, I was always hostile to people and only focused on my business as that was the only thing I cared for. But now i regret all this as I now know that there is more to life than just wanting to have or make all the money in the world. I believe when God gives me a second chance to come to this world I would live my life a different way from how I have lived it. Now that God has called me, I have willed and given most of my property and assets to my immediate and extended family members as well as a few close friends. I want God to be merciful to me and accept my soul so, I have decided to give alms to charity organizations, as I want this to be one of the last good deeds I do on earth. So far, I have distributed money to some charity organizations in the U.A.E, Algeria and Malaysia, Indian and Pakistan. Now that my health has deteriorated so badly, I cannot do this myself anymore.

I once asked members of my family to close one of my accounts in Switzerland and distribute the money which I have there to charity organization in Bulgaria and Pakistan, they refused and kept the money to themselves. Hence, I do not trust them anymore, as they seem not to be contended with what I have left for them. Now I want you to assist me in getting some cash deposit claim and distribute to charity and people of the tsunami disaster.

The last of my money which no one knows of is the huge Cash deposit of $36,000.000.00 million united states dollars that I have with a finance/Security Company abroad. I will want you to help me collect this deposit and dispatched it to charity organizations. I have set aside twenty percent for you and for your time.