'Check carefully before making Nepal donations'

[Thaivisa News]

Bangkok: The Thai Red Cross Society has warned potential donors to thoroughly check requests for help for quake-ravaged Nepal, suggesting some calls for assistance may have been parts of scams.

“We at the Thai Red Cross Society have been busy checking some bank account numbers said to be associated with us,” said Soi-sa-ang Pikulsod, a top Red Cross official in Thailand said.

She said those bank account numbers as well as other numbers said to belong to some foundations had been circulating wildly on the social media, where sympathy for Nepal has been so widespread.

“Some bank donation requests cited the Thai Red Cross but we know nothing about them,” she said.

She called on social media users forwarding such information to friends on LINE or Twitter or Facebook to exercise extreme caution.

She admitted that Nepal needed a lot of outside assistance but communication with affected areas has been extremely difficult. Emergency aid is one thing, while those wanting to make bank donations can wait, she said.

The Thai Red Cross is having an emergency meeting Wednesday morning on Nepal and related matters.

According to Reuters, international aid has finally begun to arrive in the Himalayan nation of 28 million people, 3 days after the devastating quake. Disbursement has been slow.

The confirmed death toll stood at over 4,000 Tuesday evening, but high-ranking officials said it could hit 10,000. The UN said up to 8 million had been affected by the disaster. Reuters said a series of aftershocks, mammoth ruins, creaking infrascture and lack of funds were hampering rescue efforts.

[Yann55]

Whenever there is a big disaster somewhere, you can count on the usual crooks and buzzards to fly there in a rush and try to use the situation + the natural compassion of normal people to squeeze money out of the latter.

How unfathomably dirty and obscene the minds of such people are, is beyond words. But there it is, a distinctly human trait, an inevitable part of human nature, the Mr Hyde side of humanity, always ready to pounce.

Edited April 29, 2015 by Yann55

[NeilSA1]

No matter how good the intentions of some people, rather just donate money to the tried and tested charity organisations like The Thai Red Cross Society

[Nick167]

Even some of these legit banks, organisations, goverment agencies, international organisations, media celebs should be audited and not totally trusted as how much is really ending up with those in really in need in Nepal. A lot of these so call legit people are also despicable. I know of one thai TV news celeb who made tons of monies that way.

[phuketrichard]

why does tragedy, wherever, always bring out the scammers?

[Stargeezr]

Certainly be very careful about who you give your very hard earned money to.

I used to donate to Care Canada, years ago until one of the office workers in Ottawa,

let me know that even back then, about 15 to 20 cents of my 1 dollar, actually made it out of Canada

to where it was I thought my money was going. Most of the large companies, like

that and even the Red Cross, has administration costs, building leases, people on full salaries,

CEO's etc., who also want part of the money that you donate, for themselves.

Just Saying! I tend to give my money to people like Doctors without borders, and

groups that actually have a good record of making as much of the money going to their

organization, actually get to the people who really need it.