Jamaica warns against fake hurricane relief websites, 28 identified so far

The Government is sounding a note of caution to persons making donations to Jamaica in the wake of the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa, urging them to verify the authenticity of websites purporting to collect money or other items on behalf of the state.

Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Science, Technology, and Special Projects, Dr Andrew Wheatley, says scammers are trying to divert donations for their own benefit.

Speaking at a press briefing at Jamaica House on Thursday morning, Wheatley said the Jamaica Cyber Incident Response Team (JaCIRT) has issued an urgent alert to Jamaicans locally and abroad regarding the emergence of fraudulent websites attempting to exploit the generosity of donors.

Wheatley said JaCIRT’s monitoring system has detected multiple suspicious domains currently under development that appear to be attempting to divert hurricane relief donations from legitimate channels.

At present, Wheatley said JaCIRT has identified at least 28 sites that are designed to fraudulently pull in donations intended for persons hit hard by the hurricane.

“These malicious actors are creating fake websites with names similar to Jamaica’s official donation portal,” Wheatley said.

He said the sites are at varying stages of development, but JaCIRT suspects that these sites may become active in the coming days.

The only legitimate website for Government Hurricane Melissa relief donations is https://www.supportjamaica.gov.jm.

He urged donors to verify the URL carefully before making donations.

Wheatley warned persons to be on guard, especially when they see urgent requests, noting that scammers usually create artificial urgency to bypass the careful judgement of their victims.

“If you are donating through a charity, verify its legitimacy through independent sources,” he said.

Wheatley is urging international donors to exercise caution and use only the official government portal.

Edmond Campbell

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