Haiti: BBC traces scam computer to Nigeria

Criminal gangs have defrauded people out of funds intended for Haiti earthquake victims by setting up bogus charities and seeking contributions online, according to a British Broadcasting Corporation investigation published on Tuesday.

Scam emails began appearing online within days of the January 12 earthquake, including some with logos for genuine charities. One for the British Red Cross was traced to a computer in Nigeria, the BBC reported.

Another group, calling itself the M E Foundation, emailed the BBC photos of Haiti projects it said it was involved with, but which turned out to be those of disaster relief activities from the 2005 Pakistan earthquake.

British charity, SOS Children, said the photos were cut and pasted from their website.

“The problem is it’s not just about exploiting a donor or a charity, really they’re exploiting the victims.

“They’re taking money people want to give to the victims of these natural disasters and they’re stealing it. So, I don’t feel that they’re robbing me; I feel that they’re taking from the mouths of children we’re trying to help and that is something which is very difficult not to get angry about,” the charity’s boss, Andrew Cates, said.

Another scam email was sent by a charity calling itself Help the World. When the BBC called the mobile number it gave, its reporter was told it focused on repairing schools.
SOURCE: punchng.com

14 COMMENTS

  1. I think nigerians are chewing more than they can chew. i actually thought about the possibility of fraudstars taking money from haiti but i never thought it would come from nigeria. if only they put such skills in something more productive. we are better than this

  2. Nigerians!!! Cant we help our self? if this continue to happen, God on his own will continue to punish us. Nigerian Youths please lets forget the pass and rebuild Nigeria. Scam will not help us, let us focus on the future. Nigerian Government plz HELP and Empower the youths on the score aspect of life…

  3. Both the people and the leaders are to be blame b/c after graduation govt did not care to create job for the people and the people did not want to creat good things with there knowledge for the development of the country both the govt and the people like cheting

  4. WE THANK GOD ALMIGHTY THAT NIGERIA IS THE ONLY COUNTRY WHERE SCAM COMPUTER WOULD BE TRACED BUT NOT IN ANOTHER COUNTRY! YOU PEOPLE WHOSE ACTIVITIES IS CENTERED AT TARNISHING THE IMAGE OF NIGERIA GOD ALMIGHTY THAT IS USING NIGERIA TO DO GOOD THINGS IN THE UNIVERSE TODAY WILL SOON REWARD ALL OF YOU ON INDIVIDUAL BASIS .AS YOU ARE TARNISHING NIGERIA AND NIGERIANS IMAGE SO ALSO GOD ALMIGHTY WILL REWARD ALL OF YOU IN PERSON . UPON THE WORST THINGS MOST OF YOU ARE DOING , NONE OF YOU HAVE SEEN ANYTHING BAD IN YOUR WICKEDNESS , EVEN IF NIGERIANS ARE NOT SAYING ANYTHING DO YOU PEOPLE THINK THEY ARE NOT SEEING YOUR DIABOLICAL WAYS OF DOING THINGS OH WICKED PEOPLE WITH A WICKED IDEAS.I THINK NIGERIANS AND SOME EMINENT PEOPLE IN OTHER PART OF THE WORLD WILL LIKE THOSE WHOSE ACTIVITY IS TO WRITE DIABOLICAL THINGS ABOUT NIGERIA TO HAVE A SECOND THOUGHTS. NIGERIANS WILL NOT LIKE TO SEE THEIR NAMES SOILED BY ANY INDIVIDUALS OR GROUPS OF INDIVIDUALS .THERE ARE SOME KNOWLEDGEABLE THINGS TO DISCUSS AND WRITE ABOUT NIGERIA..LOVERS OF NIGERIA WILL NOT LIKE TO SEE NIGERIA NAME SOILED BY ANY PERSON OR GROUP OF PERSONS ANY WHERE. NIGERIANS ARE NOT FOUND WANTING IN SHOWING LOVE AT ALL LEVEL, NIGERIA WANT LOVE AND NOT HATRED PLEASE TAKE NOTE !

  5. WE THANK GOD ALMIGHTY THAT NIGERIA IS THE ONLY COUNTRY WHERE SCAM COMPUTER WOULD BE TRACED BUT NOT IN ANOTHER COUNTRY! YOU PEOPLE WHOSE ACTIVITIES ARE CENTERED AT TARNISHING THE IMAGE OF NIGERIA GOD ALMIGHTY THAT IS USING NIGERIA TO DO GOOD THINGS IN THE UNIVERSE TODAY WILL SOON REWARD ALL OF YOU ON INDIVIDUAL BASIS .AS YOU ARE TARNISHING NIGERIA AND NIGERIANS IMAGE SO ALSO GOD ALMIGHTY WILL REWARD ALL OF YOU IN PERSON . UPON THE WORST THINGS MOST OF YOU ARE DOING THAT ARE KNOWN TO US, NONE OF YOU HAVE SEEN ANYTHING BAD IN YOUR WICKEDNESS , EVEN IF NIGERIANS ARE NOT SAYING ANYTHING DO YOU PEOPLE THINK THEY ARE NOT SEEING YOUR DIABOLICAL WAYS OF DOING THINGS OH WICKED PEOPLE WITH A WICKED IDEAS!.I THINK NIGERIANS AND SOME EMINENT PEOPLE IN OTHER PART OF THE WORLD WILL LIKE THOSE WHOSE ACTIVITY IS TO WRITE DIABOLICAL THINGS ABOUT NIGERIA TO HAVE A SECOND THOUGHT. NIGERIANS WILL NOT LIKE TO SEE THEIR NAMES SOILED BY ANY INDIVIDUALS OR GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS .THERE ARE SOME KNOWLEDGEABLE THINGS TO DISCUSS AND WRITE ABOUT NIGERIA..LOVERS OF NIGERIA WILL NOT LIKE TO SEE NIGERIA NAME SOILED BY ANY PERSON OR GROUP OF PERSONS ANY WHERE. NIGERIANS ARE NOT FOUND WANTING IN SHOWING LOVE AT ALL LEVEL, NIGERIA WANT LOVE AND NOT HATRED PLEASE TAKE NOTE !