The National Police has discovered irregularities on the Ayuda Valencia website, which had become one of the most talked about topics in recent days. Due to this, the Government has made the decision to immediately suspend access to the page’s web domain.
A few days ago a large amount of media spoke about the existence of the Ayuda Valencia website, which had the intention of organizing and facilitating the ability to help people affected by DANA. The project excited the community and citizens, but its domain, Ayudavalencia.es, is currently no longer accessible.
Signs of fraud
After what happened in the DANA tragedy in Valencia, different web pages had appeared that had the intention of helping those affected as much as possible. Whether it was giving a voice to those who needed support in some way or organizing fundraising, these pages wanted to do something good for the community online.
In the case of Ayuda Valencia, users who used it had the opportunity to help with donations that would be directed towards recovery after the disaster. But from the National Police in Valencia, they say that they have had to act with “urgency” after receiving a complaint in which reference was made to fraudulent donations with Bitcoin. The information comes from Red.es, which is the company that is in charge of managing all the .es domains that are used in Spain, as is the case of this one that Ayuda Valencia was using.
The operators have collaborated quickly
According to the information transmitted by the Government, the investigation regarding what was happening on the Ayuda Valencia website is still ongoing. Meanwhile, it would remain up in the air to know how many people could have been exposed to some type of scam or to better understand what was really happening behind the page.
To make the website’s downfall faster, the Government has contacted the telecommunications operators, who have been asked to block the web address. The goal was to protect users as soon as possible since they believe there could be a scam behind the page. At the same time, they remember that, before making donations or carrying out any type of similar action, it is advisable to obtain information on the government’s own website. In it there is a section dedicated to DANA where the necessary data is shared to be able to collaborate safely.
For now, it is unknown precisely what could be happening beyond being related to cryptocurrencies as, in other types of cases, has also happened. It is mentioned that the problem may not only be that donations do not reach fruition and that the money falls into the wrong hands, but also that malicious files can be installed or personal information stolen. There are different risks that users could be exposing themselves to in a sensitive situation like this in which perhaps we get carried away by our good intentions.
The bad news is to see how, even in dramatic situations like this, there can be people who try to take advantage of the good will of citizens and the bad times that the victims are going through. Luckily, the National Police, Red.es, the Government and the operators have acted quickly to stop the website while they continue investigating this alleged scam that could be hiding on the page. In addition, they have also created a new X account where you can stay up to date with everything related to DANA and how to help: @InfoDanaGob.
