when dealing with unexpected emails, whatever the reason for that mail is.
Get Safe Online, an organisation that provides advice on how to protect yourself
and your computer from online fraud, has issued a warning following the
devastating earthquake in Nepal. Natural disasters such as this present heartless
criminals with an ideal opportunity to release a wave of scam emails appealing to
people's genuine good nature. These emails can contain viruses or spyware that
can damage your computer and give scammers the opportunity to obtain personal
information.
Other fraudulent emails will appeal for charitable donations but the links provided
are to fake charities or to copycat websites – websites that impersonate legitimate
well known charities in the hope of tricking people into providing their credit or
debit card details when making a donation.
If you decide to donate to a charitable appeal to help the victims of the Nepalese
earthquake (or to any other cause), the advice being offered is to go directly to
reputable charitable organisations, such as the Disaster Emergency Committee. Do
not respond to any unsolicited emails.
You can check whether a charity is registered with the Charity Commission by
visiting their section on the Gov.uk website. If you think that an email, appeal or
collection is not genuine, please report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.
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