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
I think I have read this bef this morning at ST