30th January 2007
Over the past months we have been notified of a number of instances where
fraudsters are using our name, web site, text and pictures for their own
fraudulent fundraising through unsuspecting members of the public through
the internet.
Please ensure that anyone contacting you and asking for money for research,
medical fees or any other uses to treat noma cases in Africa, you should ensure
that they are legitimate before sending off any donations. Fraudulent e-mails
may well appear to be legitimate by using such addresses as facingafrica3@gmail.com
This is a recent e-mail sent to thousands of people, many of whom may well
have made donations and of course the money will have gone straight into
a fraudster's pocket. It is very sad that there are people who take advantage
of the unfortunate and we hope you will not fall into any of those traps. If you
do receive a suspicious request for money, please forward it to us or to
fraud.alert@met.police.uk at New Scotland Yard.
Sample fraudulent letter using "Facing Africa" ( as you will
see, the sender has used our text and our name)
Good Day Sir/Madam,
Please permit me to bring your attention to this illness called Noma. Noma
(cancrum oris) is an acute and ravaging gangrenous infection affecting the
face. The victims of Noma are mainly young children caught in a vicious
circle of extreme poverty and chronic malnutrition.
Noma begins with ulcers in the mouth. If the condition is detected in the
early stage, progression can be prevented with the use of common antibiotics
and immediate nutritional rehabilitation. If left untreated, as happens in
most cases, the ulcers progress to Noma at an alarming pace. The next stage
is extremely painful when the cheeks or lips begin to swell and the victim's
general condition deteriorates. Within a few days, the swelling increases
and a blackish furrow appears and the gangrenous process sets in and, after
the scab falls away and a gaping hole is left in the face. It is estimated
that the mortality rate reaches up to an alarming 90%.
Survivors, those whose pitiful faces can be seen on these pages, can
arguably be described as the fortunate ones. However, their lives will never
be the same and they will suffer three main afflictions - facial
disfigurement, functional impairment and social outcast.
The scar tissue restricts jaw movement and a child who survives is unlikely
ever to be able to speak or eat normally again. In infancy, some children
lose their lips and soon die of starvation, as they are unable to
breast-feed.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates an annual incidence of 500,000
victims world-wide. This means that around 450,000 children aged between
infancy and puberty will die each year, mainly in sub-Saharan countries from
Senegal to Ethiopia, a region also known as "the Noma belt". To this
development i am asking you to join the fight against Noma.Now, we have
5,000 children waiting to undergo this surgery at the cost of 1,000euro per
Child. Please in any way that you can help a child to undergo this surgery
will be appreciated.
If your interested in helping this children Please provide me with:
1.Your Name..............
2.Your Location.........
3.Your phone Number with international dialing code..........
I await your Reply.
Best regards
Allen Robert
Assistant Director Facing Africa.
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