SINGAPORE : Have you been receiving emails and SMSes asking you
to donate to the Tsunami victims?
While some seem suspicous, others which are perfectly genuine, are
being slammed as scams.
So how do you know if you are donating to the right parties?
It says 'Do not call these numbers 1900-9111110 and 1900-9111150
for it is a scam!'
But these are actually legitimate telepoll numbers for donors to
donate to the tsunami victims.
Mercy Relief, which runs a parallel fund-raising effort to the
Singapore Red Cross, have subscribed to this number over the last
two years.
Izuan M. Rais, Manager of Mercy Relief, said: "That is a valid
number. It is not a hoax, it is not a scam, and we need people to
call that number urgently so that we can continue with our relief
efforts for the beneficiaries."
While Mercy Relief's telepoll numbers are authentic, there are
other claims which seem rather suspicious.
Like one email from a so-called princess in Thailand, who claims to
have lost her family to the tsunami and have some $24
million.
She is willing to part with 25 percent to whoever emails her
back.
There is also another email which calls for credit card donations
for the people of Khao Lak in Thailand.
There is even a likely human trafficking, with the United Nations
receiving reports of adults posing as foster parents, and
allegations of orphaned children shipped from Indonesia to Malaysia
for sale.
The world body says investigations are underway.
When in doubt, be it the 1900 numbers or even some of the public
solicitation, you can call the licensing officer of the Singapore
Police Force or go directly to the charities involved to verify the
authenticity of the fund-raising activities.
Fortunately, these scams have not dampened the generosity of
Singaporeans, with the Singapore Red Cross having collected $20
million so far. - CNA