Emails claiming to be from the Civil Aviation Authority offering compensation to those travellers left stranded by the recent volcanic eruption in Iceland have been exposed as fake. Researchers at the Scam Detectives website (www.scam-detectives.co.uk) noticed the emails sent from fraudsters asking for newly returned travellers for the passport data, bank account details and other personal information. Travellers were asked to provide this information in return for up to £2,000 compensation.
This is the most recent case of ‘disaster’ email fraud within a series of scams including the Haitian Earthquake donation appeal and the Boxing Day Tsunami appeal. A spokesman for the CAA said; “I can categorically say that this email has nothing to do with us. It’s a scam – and we’ll be asking the police to investigate.” The Director of Scam Detectives, Charles Conway said; “If you receive a an e-mail claiming to be offering you repayment to compensate you for the inconvenience of being stuck overseas, you should delete it immediately without responding.”
GetSafeOnline echoes this advice and would remind all internet users to be vigilant when screening their e-mail and pay extra attention to correspondence relating to current affairs and disaster appeals. If something seems to be to good to be true then it probably is.
