The humanitarian crisis in Turkey and Syria due to a series of earthquakes is a tragedy. Unfortunately, it is being compounded by scammers who are taking advantage of the situation by stealing donations through the abuse of legitimate platforms like PayPal and Twitter. Keep reading to find out all the details.
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Exploiting the Ongoing Humanitarian Crisis through PayPal and Twitter
This week, several high-magnitude earthquakes caused extensive damage to infrastructure and disrupted network connectivity across the Middle East and Mediterranean region, claiming more than 15,000 lives.
Scammers are setting up fake PayPal and Twitter accounts that appear to be associated with legitimate charities, asking for donations which are instead taken by the scammers. People fall for these traps because using PayPal gives credibility. BleepingComputer spoke with PayPal:
“While the vast majority of people using PayPal to accept donations have the best intentions, there are inevitably some who attempt to prey on the charitable nature and generosity of others. PayPal teams are always working diligently to scrutinize and ban accounts, particularly in the wake of events like the earthquake in Turkey and Syria.”
Also, BleepingComputer made an intensive investigation noticing that there are tons of scammers using different platforms, such as emails, to trick people, being one of the most problematic the use of crypto wallets or Unicef names. Users must be aware that Turkey and Syria don’t allow many of these platforms to offer their services on their territory.
How to Avoid Scammers
It is important to take precautions when donating to charities, making sure you are contributing to a legitimate charity by researching the organization and verifying its website. Don’t give out personal or financial information unless you are confident the organization is real.
The damage caused by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria is a heartbreaking situation. Unfortunately, it is being made worse by scammers who are exploiting the ongoing humanitarian crisis. To avoid becoming a victim of these scammers, take the necessary precautions and ensure you donate to a legitimate charity.
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