Warning on Fake Fundraising SNS for Turkey Aid

BBC Report... Online Scams Exploiting Grief on the Rise

[Asia Economy Reporter Koo Chae-eun] It has been revealed that fraudulent fundraising scams are rampant online in relation to the earthquake damage in Turkey.

On the 14th (local time), the British BBC reported on fake fundraising activities where videos or photos showing earthquake damage sites or rescue workers are posted on SNS, requesting donations.

One TikTok channel showed aerial photos of the Turkey disaster site during a 3-hour live broadcast and asked viewers to support with TikTok digital currency through the 'Gifting' feature. It is unclear who owns this account or where the donations are used. BBC pointed out that it is also problematic that 70% of the proceeds go to TikTok as fees.

A TikTok spokesperson told BBC, "We are actively working to prevent impersonation of organizations requesting help on TikTok or actions that cause such misunderstandings."

Many Twitter accounts requesting donations with sorrowful images have also been detected. One Twitter account posted a tweet eight times over 12 hours with a photo of a firefighter holding a child amidst building debris along with two cryptocurrency wallet addresses. BBC reported that the photo is not real but AI-generated, and upon close inspection, the firefighter holding the child has six fingers on the right hand.

BBC contacted the owner of the Twitter account. The account owner denied it was a scam and said, "I will prove through receipts that the donations were properly used," but BBC reported that no receipts or identification were actually sent afterward.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.