First Tsunami Scams Have Arrived

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By By Herb Weisbaum

Summary

For one, Mercy Corps reports that e-mails are being sent claiming to be from then asking to donate through PayPal, but it's a scam.

Story Published: Jan 11, 2005 at 4:14 PM PDT

Story Updated: Aug 31, 2006 at 1:49 AM PDT

First Tsunami Scams Have Arrived
SEATTLE -

Mercy Corps is now reporting that e-mails are being sent out claiming to be from Mercy Corps asking for donations through links to Pay Pal. These e-mails are NOT from Mercy Corps and the donations made through Pay Pal will NOT reach them. (To read Mercy Corps news release -- www.mercycorps.org.)

Charity experts say this is the first, but surely not the last "phisher scam" designed to direct people to bogus sites that will harvest their personal information, such as credit cards numbers. There's no easy way to tell if an e-mail solicitation is legit or a scam. So, you need to follow this simple rule: if you want to give to a charity, go to their Web site directly; never go there via a link from an e-mail. You may be steered to a website that looks like the real thing, but that's run by a con artist.

Speaking of con artists, someone calling himself Marco Nula who claims to be a Tsunami victim in Indonesia is sending out a bogus e-mail. It says that his parents were killed and that he has now confirmed "that my Parents has the sum of 3.2 million Euros deposited in savings in the Netherlands which will be claimed by me as next of Kin."

Marco tells a complicated tale about his parent's citizenship and problems getting the money. Then he asks for your help. "I have asked the Lawyer to provide me with all the documents, I shall have send them to you when you show sincere intentions to help me and my sister." Marco says he's willing give "a negotiable percentage of money to you..." in return for your assistance.

If you get an e-mail like this, don't respond, delete it. It's just a clever twist on the old Nigerian scam that's being going on for years now. People who respond are talked in to giving tens of thousands of dollars to overseas con artists.

(Update as of Jan 14: The FBI has arrested him. See more at this link.)

For More Information:

Crooks faking Web sites to bilk unwitting donors
Tips on Tsunami Relief Appeals
BBB Wise Giving Alliance
List of established charities providing disaster relief
Washington Secretary of State Charity Registration Information
GuideStar
American Institute of Philanthropy