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It is a well known fact that scammers and fraudsters look to take advantage of any kind of events, whether good or bad, for selfish gains. While unfortunate natural disasters such as the Tsunami, Earthquakes, have been used in the past, it appears that the recent disruptions and ban on Plane Flights as a result of the volcanic ash cloud is next in line.
The BBC reports that a Wrexham company has revealed that scam e-mails claiming to assist stranded airline passengers who have been affected by the Icelandic volcanic ash flight ban is being investigated. The e-mails claim to be from the Civil Aviation Authority (UK), and say that affected travellers can receive £2,000 – if they pay an administration fee.
It is obvious that this is a scam and the CAA has no knowledge of it. A spokesperson for the corporation has said that they “can categorically say that this e-mail has nothing to do with us. It’s a scam – and we’ll be asking the police to investigate.”
To avoid being a victim of this scam, ensure that you delete any e-mail that claims to offer you a compensation for the inconvenience of being stranded abroad and report to the relevant authority immediately. In addition, remember that these scammers have many tricks and so may pretend to be contacting you from any other organisation or corporation. Be warned.
Talking Point
What else can one do to avoid becoming a victim of opportunist scams?
7 Comments
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ccna
May 6, 2010 at 12:20 pm
I think these scammers should stop taking advantages of such natural calamtities that occur. While people are in so much sorrow all they think of is getting money
gerald27
May 9, 2010 at 4:57 pm
hey, found you on yahoo. really like the site. keep up the good work!
Musikinstrumente
May 12, 2010 at 2:51 pm
I delete such mails every time. This is NEVER real.
Save The Date Magnets
May 12, 2010 at 4:46 pm
Hope you are having a good weekend.
Domain name registration
May 25, 2010 at 9:18 am
We have to be sure of any unsolicited email before receiving to them. The scammers have lots of trick they are using.
Janis Gagliardi
August 16, 2011 at 7:45 am
Rule of thumb is that if you don’t apply for or avail something, you can’t be entitled for anything. If in case you get curious, by all means, verify with their customer service department. These things are usually offered for free or if there’s a charge, there are definitely no up front payments. Again, it’s best to verify with customer service.