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Cali Authorities Warn of Post-Earthquake Donation Scams
🇨🇴 Colombia /Disasters & Emergencies

Cali Authorities Warn of Post-Earthquake Donation Scams

From El Tiempo · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified New plan
  • Cali authorities warn of a scam targeting earthquake victims, where fraudsters solicit money via phone calls.
  • Scammers impersonate emergency services like Firefighters, Red Cross, and Civil Defense, claiming to collect aid for affected families.
  • Officials urge the public to use only official channels for donations and report suspicious calls, emphasizing that no emergency entity requests funds via phone.

Authorities in Cali, Colombia, have issued an urgent public alert regarding a fraudulent scheme exploiting the recent earthquake emergency. Unscrupulous individuals are reportedly making phone calls, impersonating representatives of official emergency response organizations, to solicit monetary donations for earthquake-affected families.

The scam involves callers posing as members of the Cali Volunteer Firefighters, the Red Cross, Civil Defense, and the Secretariat of Risk Management. They falsely claim to be collecting aid for those impacted by the 7.1 magnitude earthquake that struck the Valle del Cauca region. Jefferson Agudelo, coordinator of operations for Cali Firefighters, categorically denied these solicitations, stating that none of the emergency system entities are using phone calls or unverified direct contacts to request funds from the public.

None of the entities in the emergency response system are using phone calls or unverified direct contacts to request economic resources from the public.

— Jefferson AgudeloCali Firefighters Operations Coordinator, categorically denying fraudulent donation requests.

To prevent citizens from falling victim to these deceptions, the District Administration strongly advises verifying any information exclusively through the official websites and social media channels of the Mayor's Office of Cali, the Secretariat of Risk Management, Firefighters, the Red Cross, and Civil Defense. For those wishing to contribute securely, established official channels remain open: monetary donations can be made to the Colombian Red Cross via Bre-B 0092364010 or bank account number 256670803 at Banco de Bogotá. In-kind aid should be delivered to the Ciudadela Petronio, designated as the city's sole collection center.

Authorities have also denounced false information circulating on social media regarding the exclusion of earthquake-affected families based on their socioeconomic status, labeling such claims as untrue. They reiterate the call to refrain from sending money to personal accounts and to promptly report any suspicious calls or messages to the authorities.

The information is false. The characterization process through RUFE...

— Cali Mayor's OfficeDenouncing false social media claims about excluding earthquake victims based on socioeconomic status.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Tiempo in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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