August 27th 2026
Charity donors are being warned to avoid fake charity appeals following the disastrous flash flood in Nepal and Tibet which has killed many local people and tourists, left many missing and devastated a considerable number of communities. Natural disasters such as this always present callous criminals with the ideal opportunity to release a wave of scams – exploiting people’s genuine good nature.
As always seems to be the case in such circumstances, we are anticipating a flood of fraudulent emails, websites and social media activity pleading for donations for disaster relief efforts or claiming to have exclusive video or images of the victims.
Those responding to such appeals will almost certainly be asked to donate by sending money by bank transfer, but some fraudulent sites are set up to accept payment cards. Some messages may also conceal malicious code designed to infect recipients’ devices with spyware, malware and other types of virus.
If you receive unsolicited appeals for donations or see an appeal on social media channels, you can check if they are likely to be genuine or fraudulent using tools like Check a Website and Ask Silver, available through Get Safe Online’s Self-Help Tool Centre.
If you decide to donate to relief to help the victims of the flash flood in Nepal and Tibet – or any other natural disaster – make sure you do so directly to reputable charitable organisations. Make sure you know the charity’s physical address and phone number. And do not respond to any unsolicited emails.
