This scam involves fraudsters collecting money for supposed disastervictims. They may claim to be sending food, shelter, or medical aidto affected regions, but in reality, they pocket the donations.
How This Can Happen to Us:
Scammers exploitmedia coverage of disasters and reach out to donors via email, phonecalls, and social media. They may even use fake testimonies fromsupposed survivors.
Example of Scam:
After the Nepal earthquakein 2015, scammers created fake fundraising pages claiming to provideemergency relief. Many people donated money, but none of it reachedactual victims.
How to Protect Yourself:
Donate only through official relief organizations.
Be skeptical of charities that pop up immediately after a disaster.
Verify the organization’s legitimacy through third-party charity watchdogs.
Never give personal or banking details over the phone to unsolicited callers.