Scammers quick to exploit Haitian earthquake

Cyber-scammers are using the latest Haitian earthquake to prey on unsuspecting consumers, by setting up fake charities and urging people to donate money to the victims, according to Symantec.

Symantec security experts have uncovered a number of spam e-mails soliciting donations and poisoning search results that can infect computers with malware.

One such scam involves an emails claiming to be from the British Red Cross (BRC) urging people to donate, through the Western Union.

According to the Symantec blog, this is indeed a scam as the BRC do not use Western Union for donations. Also, the email address supplied for contact is not one belonging to the BRC.

Symantec security experts urge computer users to follow best practices to help stay safe online, and ensure donations and support reach the victims of the catastrophe and not the scammers.

Related posts:

1. Scammers use SMS to deliver ‘smishing’ and ‘SPASMS’ attacks
2. Scammers targeting online shoppers and small business
3. AVG and Red Cross raise funds for Haiti disaster
4. Scammers target small business
5. Government cracks down on scammers