The Red Cross Email Scam

As we've certainly (and unfortunately) seen in recent months, large scale natural disasters bring out the best and worst in people. While corporations and individuals have donated billions to relief efforts victims of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita, there are others who would gladly use those tragedies to separate a fool from his money. Beware if you receive a solicitation via e-mail purporting to be from the Red Cross. Here's an example of a scam being perpetrated in that organization's name.


From: American Red Cross [
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Subject: Maybe you can save one life

Dear sir,

This are some of the tragic events wich we ask you to support all those people wich houses and all they had it is history :

Hurricane Rita:
Less than a month after Katrina, Hurricane Rita lashed the Gulf coast and left massive devastation in its wake. The American Red Cross will serve the victims of Hurricane Rita as it has done with Hurricane Katrina, but must rely on the ongoing support of the American public. Your financial gift to Hurricane Rita and continued support of Hurricane Katrina relief efforts will help the Red Cross provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to those affected by these hurricanes.

Hurricane Katrina:
Victims of Hurricane Katrina are attempting to recover from the massive storm. American Red Cross volunteers have been deployed to the hardest hit areas of Katrina’s destruction, supplying hundreds of thousands victims left homeless with critical necessities. By making a financial gift to support Hurricane Katrina Relief efforts, the Red Cross can provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to those affected by Hurricane Katrina.

National Disaster Relief Fund:
You can help the victims of thousands of disasters across the country each year by making a financial gift to the Disaster Relief Fund, which enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to those in need.

Your Local Red Cross Chapter:
Your local Red Cross chapter is committed to meeting the humanitarian needs of the people in your area, be it in disaster preparedness, disaster response, first aid and CPR training, or disease prevention. You can help support your local chapter programs and services by a gift to Your Local Red Cross Chapter. The gift will be sent to your local area chapter based on zip code.

International Response Fund:
You can help those affected by the West African famine and countless other crises around the world each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross International Response Fund, which will provide immediate relief and long-term support through supplies, technical assistance and other support to help those in need. For the bomb emergency in London, the British Red Cross has not requested assistance; therefore the American Red Cross is not soliciting or accepting contributions for this emergency. The American Red Cross has also announced that the needs have been met for its tsunami relief program.

Military Services:
The American Red Cross is a lifeline for deployed military members, allowing them to communicate to loved ones back home during emergencies. You can help the Red Cross keep military families connected with a gift to Red Cross Military Services.

Biomedical Services Capital Campaign:
Your gift to the Biomedical Services Capital Campaign of the American Red Cross supports our commitment to the nation's blood supply. Through this 10-year undertaking we will update and reconfigure our blood manufacturing facilities across the nation, to better serve the health needs of patients nationwide.

Measles Initiative:
Through the Measles Initiative, the American Red Cross and its partners pledge to, by the end of 2005, vaccinate 200 million children and prevent an estimated 1.2 million measles-related deaths in Africa. You can support this lifesaving effort by making a donation to the Measles Initiative today.

To help all this peoples click here .

The American Red Cross is not a government agency and all Red Cross disaster assistance is free thanks to the generosity of people like you.The value of your donation is increased by the fact that the ratio of volunteer Red Cross workers to paid staff is almost 36 to one.

Contributions to the American Red Cross, a tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, are deductible for computing income and estate taxes.


This message arrives in your inbox looking every bit like a legitimate solicitation from the American Red Cross, complete with convincing-looking text and and images. It may also contain several photographs of disaster-affected homes and neighborhoods. While the photographs are unrelated and have been tacked on for good measure, the text and masthead images are 'borrowed' directly from the Red Cross web site (in particular, their online donation form).

But don't be fooled, this e-mail is not from a legitimate party representing that organization or any other charity.

Clicking the link (which I strongly recommend against) will take you to a web page that looks like part of the Red Cross web site, but is not. Instead, it is a front for a scam known as "phishing." "Phishers" trick their prey into believing they are responding to a bona fide request for information from an organization with which the potential victim has an established relationship. They use convincing-looking e-mails messages and fake web pages to create a false sense of security. When victims fill out the form on one of these phishing sites, they've just handed a criminal all the information he or she needs to clean out their bank accounts, rack up enormous debt or even steal their identity.

The American Red Cross does not solicit donations via unsolicited e-mail (spam) or direct telephone solicitation, and they discourage folks from responding to such calls and e-mails. A legitimate request for donations from the Red Cross would include a wide variety of methods to contribute, as in this Red Cross news release on potential fraud:

"To ensure that your donation goes directly to the American Red Cross, you can make a secure online donation through our website (
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), call 1-800-HELP-NOW to make a donation by phone, or contact your local American Red Cross chapter. You may also mail your donation to the American Red Cross Disaster Response Fund at P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013; or visit one of our official Red Cross donation partners.

"Many charity watchdog groups have created tips for individuals to ensure that their donation goes directly to the organization of their choice. Some of the recommendations include visiting that organization's website directly; don't be fooled by names that closely resemble the name of a well-known charity; research the charity that you plan to donate to; be wary of telephone solicitations. For more tips on this topic, visit
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.

"The Red Cross takes fraud seriously and often works with federal, state and local law enforcement on stopping fraudulent fundraising. The Red Cross continues to communicate on a regular basis with other non-profit groups, the Better Business Bureau, state attorney general offices and media and members of the public to investigate reports of improper and fraudulent fundraising.

"If an individual is suspicious of a promotion claiming to benefit the American Red Cross, please contact your local Red Cross chapter to report the activity. The American Red Cross will follow-up any leads on potentially fraudulent scams and will take appropriate action."

The American Red Cross recommends you report any suspected fraud in their name to your local Red Cross chapter, which you can locate on their web site.