Stop donating to Nepal earthquake relief fund

Quick Heal Technologies has come out with a cautionary message for those thinking of making a donation for the Nepal earthquake victims. The advice will help them avoid several scams regarding the Nepal tragedy that have started making their way to social media and even genuine websites.

Over the last few days, many organizations have stepped up to raise funds in the form of donations to help the affected people. The social media is one of the most powerful tools when it comes to moving people together towards a cause. A clear example is Facebook, which has started a campaign urging users to come forward and support the Nepal victims.

In a note, Quick Heal asked the donors to be careful of charity requests for earthquake donations on email or social media. Cyber criminals consider such tragedies as an opportunity to play on people’s emotions. So it is quite possible that these criminals will come up with disaster-relief scams to trick people and cheat them out of their money.

Important things to keep in mind before one decide on donating to a trust are, firstly verify the name of the organization or the website that has made this request, secondly, run a Google search on it; enquire about it with your friends or if possible; someone you know from Nepal itself, thirdly, avoid newly created startups. It is safer to donate to well-known and well-established charitable organizations, fourth, If you are approached by any non-profit group that you haven’t heard of, do a bit a research, fifth, do not click on any pop-up ads on certain websites you visit, that ask for your help. It is highly probable that these are fake or are designed to drop a malware on your system.

In order to verify charitable organizations, Quick Heal recommends, Charity Navigator , Guidestar and the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance. These websites help run a quick background check. Alternately, you can select a verified agency from the list shared by the BBB Wise Giving Alliance.