The first Haiti online relief scams have surfaced according to a Symantec security report and ABC news article published today.

The emails bear forged sources, including the British Red Cross and Haiti Disaster Response Agency, and ask recipients to donate to the Haiti relief effort via a Western Union money transfer.

These scams play on recipients emotions – someone that may not click on this message during their day to day activity might just fall prey to this attack due to the circumstances.

However, even these messages gave clues as to their true intent: spelling errors could be found in both as well as the red flag “Western union money transfer.” (a copy of the original scam message can be found below).

As always, be wary of what reaches your inbox. A good guide to reputable ways to support the relief effort and safe places to donate online can be found here.