Fraudsters posing as charity groups exploiting Covid-19 crisis

Gangs of fraudsters have been swindling money from donors in the name of helping the poor people affected by the Covid-19 crisis.

Recently, members of two such gangs were arrested by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP).

Police sources said on Sunday that a number of gangs have escalated their activities using social media to exploit the coronavirus pandemic.

The fraudsters typically post on social media saying they want to help slum dwellers who are suffering because of the coronavirus crisis. They also upload some photos of people who make donations.

Nayamul Islam, an employee at a private office, donated TK3,000 to one of such groups, but later he found out that he was duped by the scammers.

Responding to the fraudsters' appeal for support for the poor people, some donors gave money through mobile banking channels such as bKash, Rocket and Nagad without any verification.

The police have discouraged people from making such donations to people not known personally.

According to police sources, many people and youths have formed charity groups for helping people amid the crisis.  While some of them have been helping the poor, the swindlers were cheating with the donors.

Khairul Islam, additional superintendent of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), told The Business Standard on Sunday, "We caught such a group and stopped them."

"The CID is closely observing social media to prevent fraudsters from committing such crimes," he added.

Two days earlier the DMP arrested members of another such group in the capital.