GMF#8 | The Bait and Switch Scam
TL;DR: At Give.Asia, we've seen both the incredible kindness of our community and the unfortunate rise of scams. Some scammers try to trick people into sending money to them instead of the person in need. But we're fighting back with extra checks, watermarks, and the help of our community. We're committed to making Give.Asia a safe and trustworthy place for everyone.
Kindness shines on Give.Asia with thousands of givers supporting those in need.
Scammers are a reality, using tricks to divert donations away from those who need them.
The "bait and switch" scam is tricky, using real stories and fake bank accounts.
Give.Asia fights scams with verification, watermarks, and a vigilant community.
We're dedicated to building trust and transparency to ensure your support goes where it's needed most.
Hello, dear future self, 🖐️
Today, we're diving into a topic that really hits home for us at Give.Asia – the amazing kindness of our community and the unfortunate times when that kindness is taken advantage of. It's a story about staying strong, keeping an eye out, and our ongoing promise to make sure everything we do is trustworthy and clear.
In our daily life at Give.Asia, we're always amazed and thankful for the many folks who not only share kind words but also give what they can to help people going through tough times. It's a lovely display of people helping each other out, and we're so thankful for it.
However, where kindness and money meet, there's sometimes a dark side – scams. These are tricks that try to fool people, and we want to make sure you know how to spot them.
One tricky scam is what we call the "bait and switch." Scammers will share a story about someone who needs help, just like we do on www.give.asia. But instead of asking for donations on our platform, they'll ask for money to be sent to a bank account. It's a trap that can be easy to fall into because the story itself is real, with real pictures and documents we've checked and put on Give.Asia. In some cases, you might even see the person's story in the news because we work with reporters to share their story.
To make it even more convincing, these scammers might make a Facebook account or page using the names of the person's parents. It's all meant to make you think it's real. But what they're really doing is trying to trick you into sending money to them instead of the person who needs help.
But don't worry, future self, we're not just sitting around. At Give.Asia, we've put in some safety measures to stop these scams:
Verification: Just like Facebook has those blue checkmarks to show that an account is real, we've gone through a process to show we're the real deal. It's like an extra way for you to know we're trustworthy.
Watermarking: We've added special marks on all the pictures and documents on our website. This helps you know they really came from us, so you can trust them.
Community Watch: We rely on our awesome community of givers to let us know if something fishy is going on. They can tell us through Facebook or our helpdesk at support@give.asia. They're like our superheroes, watching out for scams.
Finding these scams isn't fun for us because it's not right for people to trick others when they're trying to help. But when we see a problem, we try to fix it and make Give.Asia even better.
So, thanks for being a part of our journey, and for helping us make the world a kinder, clearer place. 🌟🤗🖐️