Indians in the country and elsewhere are tremendously disturbed by the events that unfolded in Pulwama a week back… so much so that some are taking to social media platforms and the messages circulating therein very seriously.  One category of messages related to collection of funds from the general public for the welfare of the families affected directly by the Pulwama attack.  District administration has sent out a warning to the residents to be careful while addressing such messages.

The anger towards the incident has disseminated into people and organisations rushing forward to help the families in any form… cash or kind.  This blind emotion has resulted in fake accounts being opened and people being coaxed on social media platforms, some even in the name of renowned persons to contribute to the cause of supporting the families of those affected.  But how would verify the sanctity of these messages – whether the money being donated is going into the right hands? Or is it a fake account with intention of fraud.

Accordingly, the District Administration has advised that before falling into an emotional trap, one must ensure the sanctity of the donation box.  Shyam Chandel, a cyber expert from Udaipur has suggested that anyone looking to donate for this cause, needs to look up government sites and original sites.  A genuine website will always show a ‘lock’ icon on the url field.  Correct spelling of the url will also ensure that the site is genuine.  For eg.  BharatKeVeer is a genuine website but another website with a wrong spelling has cropped up with an intention to fraud.  Donating to unsafe or fraudulent sites will waste the effort and the money.

Colonel Uday Singh Solanki, from the District Sainik Welfare Board said warned of such messages on social media sites.  He said that local chapter of the District Sainik Welfare Board is the safest place for such funds to be donated.  Donation can be made in the name of the martyred family or deposited into the account directly after confirming the credentials with the Sainik Board office.  He also reiterated that BharatKeVeer.com is the most genuine website where one can donate and ensure that the fund reaches the beneficiary directly.  He suggested that assistance in the form of creating a fixed deposit in the name of the children of the martyred, taking responsibility of education or marriage of a child of the martyred or a family member, etc can be other ways of offering ones donation to the cause.  The PM Relief Fund and CM Relief Fund are the other two genuine platforms where the donations can be made.