Animal welfare organisations have lamented that they have fallen victim to a surge in online scams targeting non-profit entities.
Three such organisations - Paws Animal Welfare Society (Paws), Second Chance Animal Society and Hope Johor - claimed that scammers are jeopardising their operations and fundraising efforts by exploiting the altruistic nature of the organisations.
In a joint statement today, Paws alleged to have encountered the freezing of two bank accounts, while Second Chance is in the face of an impending threat of blacklisting.
Meanwhile, Hope is grappling with a significant decline in donations due to public insecurity regarding online transactions.
They alleged that scammers had tricked victims via Telegram messenger with small “tasks” that promised nominal financial rewards, including donations to specific animal welfare NGOs.
“Once trust is established, victims are coerced into substantial payments for fictional online stocks and cryptocurrency investments, resulting in irreparable financial losses.
“Regrettably, investigations by authorities into these scams often led to the freezing of NGO bank accounts that were included within the scam messages, exacerbating the crisis.
“Despite efforts to thwart scammers by changing bank accounts, Paws experienced a rapid adaptation of scam messages,” the statement read.
Paws shelter manager Edward Lim said his organisation has since directed its donors to its website at paws.org.my which utilises a secure gateway.
Second Chance and Hope also faced similar challenges – being inundated with small donations of RM1 to RM20 with peculiar transaction references.
“To exacerbate the situation, certain scammers went to the extent of employing counterfeit Touch N’ Go and DuitNow QR codes, misleading the public into believing they were donating to the NGOs.
“This wave of scams has severely hampered the fundraising capabilities of these organisations, impacting their ability to aid homeless animals,” said Lim.
Reduced donations
Meanwhile, Second Chance president Kim Yeoh explained that the organisation had directed its bank to halt all incoming transactions, leading to a challenge in meeting RM40,000 of monthly expenses to sustain over 500 rescue animals.
“The struggle is intense, and uncertainty prevails regarding when these scammers will cease targeting us,” Yeoh said.
Hope Johor manager Iris Leong also shared similar concerns, saying the rise in such scams has caused reluctance among the public to donate.
“Unfortunately, our community has not been immune to this alarming trend, resulting in a substantial decrease in donations.
“This downturn is significantly affecting our operations, making it challenging to cover essential expenses such as medical and food costs,” Leong said.
Therefore, in a collaborative effort to address the matter at hand, an online animal welfare platform PetFinder.my is working with affected NGOs to enhance security in online donation channels.
They also encouraged donors to visit the official websites of the organisations for verified donation channels and to promptly report to authorities if they encounter such scams. - Mkini
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