According to the Department of Information Security (Ministry of Information and Communications), in recent days, taking advantage of the impact of Typhoon Yagi, there have been cases of fraudulent charity calls for profit and false information related to this typhoon on the internet.

Specifically, taking advantage of the concern, sympathy and sharing of many people across the country with compatriots in provinces and cities heavily affected by storm Yagi, a number of fake fanpages were created to call for charitable support.

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A fake fanpage of the Quang Ninh Provincial Red Cross Society was set up to scam people's charity money by calling for donations to support people affected by Typhoon Yagi. Photo: NCSC

In terms of tricks, the scammers created fake accounts of government agencies or reputable organizations to provide false information about the storm and flood situation in the northern provinces, thereby calling for donations and support for families affected by natural disasters.

Fraudsters even use images and information similar to official sites to call on kind-hearted people to donate and transfer money to personal accounts to appropriate money.

For example, the subjects faked the fanpage of the Quang Ninh Provincial Red Cross Society to impersonate this organization to call for donations and support for people affected by Typhoon Yagi and defraud property.

Similarly, a fake fanpage of the Lam Thao District Fatherland Front Committee (Phu Tho Province) has recently appeared on the internet, created by scammers to call for support for families affected by the Phong Chau bridge collapse.

In newly shared information, the Department of Information Security said that in recent days, taking advantage of the damage caused by storm Yagi in Ba Dinh district (Hanoi), some subjects have used images and information at locations damaged by storms and floods to impersonate the Women's Unions of Quan Thanh, Nguyen Trung Truc and Truc Bach wards, calling on kind-hearted people to donate, transfer money to personal accounts and defraud.

In addition, in recent days, some social media users have reported being scammed out of charity money donated to people affected by natural disasters.

Specifically, this person transferred hundreds of millions of VND to a person to buy 2,000 life jackets to support people in Tuyen Quang; however, after transferring the money, the seller immediately disappeared and could not be contacted.

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Taking advantage of people's concerns, these subjects have spread fake information and false news on social networking sites about the flood situation, such as fake news about the Yen Lap dike breach (Phu Tho), the Bat Xat hydropower plant breach (Lao Cai), the Song Cau dike breach, the Bac Giang dike breach, etc., which have been continuously spread.

In addition, there is also a lot of fake news about people in storm and flood areas, power outages, and no internet access can enter the syntax and send to 191 to use Viettel's free Internet.

Faced with the widespread appearance of online scams and the dissemination of false information related to Typhoon Yagi, the Information Security Department advises people to be vigilant and not to send donations or support to affected people to accounts of unknown origin.

When receiving information online calling for donations or selling goods for storm and flood prevention, people need to carefully verify the content; at the same time, follow the official media to know the reputable organizations and addresses receiving money and goods to support people in localities severely affected by Typhoon Yagi and the floods after the storm.

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People should not transfer money to individuals or organizations without clear identities; only make donations through official accounts of state agencies or reputable organizations and individuals. In case users do not have clear information, they can consult with relatives or agencies.

The Information Security Department also recommends that people carefully check information before sharing and improve their ability to protect themselves from false information; only follow information pages from the government and reputable press agencies to update accurate news, thereby limiting the risks of online fraud or becoming victims of bad actors online.

In addition, people and organizations need to promote the widespread sharing of warning information about online scams, fake news, and false information so that everyone can be vigilant.

Taking advantage of the floods, fake news is flooding social media . The authorities of the provinces affected by the floods are making great efforts in rescue work, and the whole country is looking to the northern mountainous provinces. However, fake news is constantly appearing on social media to attract views and likes.