There’s a fake email being circulated in the UK asking for donations to help with the recent earthquake in Haiti. The email claims to be from the Red Cross but it’s really just a scam.
This is what the email looks like:
The British Red Cross Society
British Red Cross
UK Office
44 Moorfields
London EC2Y 9ALMAKE YOUR DONATIONS NOW
=====================Dear reader,
A devastating earthquake measuring 7.3 on the Richter scale struck Haiti on 12 January 2010 sending the Haitian Capital Port-Au-Prince into chaos, killing hundreds and affecting thousands more. Please give what you can today to help thousands of people there in desperate need of humanitarian assistance.
Relief aid workers from the Red Cross have already been arriving at the Haitian capital with relief materials.
Donations have been grouped into two cartegories:
1: Group A (£250 British Pounds to £1,000 British Pounds
2: Group B (£1,000 British Pounds and above)Donations are to be made payable immediately via WESTERN UNION MONEY TRANSFER immediately and directly to our donations accounts liason officer as RECEIVER’S name:
DONATIONS ACCOUNT LIASON OFFICER:
LOCATION: 44 Moorfields, London EC2Y 9ALPlease provide us via return email the following informations below as they appear on the Western Union Money Transfer slip;
1. Name and Address of Sender
2. Exact Amount Sent ***
3. MTCN ***NOTE: At British Red Cross we are committed to protecting your privacy as a STANDARD practice. We will not share your information unless you have previously indicated that you are happy for us to do so.
Hope to receive your donations soon as thousands need your help.
Please send return email with donations details to
Yours Sincerely,
For and on behalf of The British Red Cross Society
The email has a few spelling and grammatical errors. They unnecessarily capitalise a few words. Both of these things are unprofessional and would not be done by a serious organisation. Also, they want money sent to Western Union! Any legitimate organisation would have a professional method of accepting money. All these things should make you suspicious of the email.
If you see this email remember that it’s a scam. And there’s no doubt that there’ll be dozens more emails with similar Haiti scams. If you want to donate to help with humanitarian efforts then find an official (and recognised) charity organisation and donate to them. Don’t click on links in emails that you receive.
Also be aware that scammers will use every event that makes the news as an excuse to send these type of emails. When celebrities die they send out similar emails, asking for money or asking you to click on a link (that goes to a malicious site). They never stop sending out these emails.
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