Scammers target would-be Yolanda aid donors
A few weeks after super typhoon Yolanda struck Central Philippines, dubious Facebook pages that scam donors of their donations.
MANILA, Philippines—When disaster strikes, there are good people who go out their way to help those in need, but there are also people who take advantage of these kind souls.
According to Randell Joseph Benitez, Media Relations Executive of Ogilvy Public Relations Manila, scammers have taken advantage of Supertyphoon Yolanda through dubious Facebook pages and spam messages.
Article continues after this advertisement“While it might seem deplorable to take advantage of natural disasters, it’s simply a business for cybercriminals,” Benitez said in an e-mail sent to INQUIRER.net.
In a blog article from blog.trendmicro.com, Arabelle Mae Ebora, a fraud analyst, wrote that a particular Facebook page asks would-be donors to visit the scammer’s own blog then asks users to make a “donation” through PayPal, an online money transfer service.
The page links users directly to the PayPal payment page where users would be sending money directly to private accounts instead of a legitimate charity.
Article continues after this advertisementEbora also reported spam messages sent through e-mail using Typhoon Haiyan, Yolanda’s international name, as the subject which requires the mail recipients to give personal information or to send money via wire or bank transfers.
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