Maidan / Maidan News

Ukrainian Site

11-12-2004 11:32 Maidan-INFORM
Marauders and Revolution: Internet Donation Scams

Print version // Edit // Delete // URL: http://maidan.org.ua/static/enews/1102757551.html

There is a sad joke that says revolution is initiated by idealists, realized by heroes, and rogues profit by it. Unfortunately, “The Orange Revolution” has also become the object of abuse by various scammers. Such web sites as
<a href="http://www.2advantage.net"target=_blank>www.2advantage.net</a> and <a href="http://www.orange-revolution.org/"target=_blank>www.orange-revolution.org</a> , both written in English, have distributed bank account numbers registered at PrivatBank, for charity donations. These accounts are registered by physical persons, who, to the best of our knowledge, have nothing to do with the civil resistance in Ukraine.

The common feature of both web sites is plagiarism; the absence of references to the other Ukrainian opposition web resources, indeterminate information the organization represented by each site as well as about the way the collected money will be spent. The design of <a href="http://www.2advantage.net/"target=_blank>www.2advantage.net</a> visually resembles the English version of the web site of Victor Yushchenko’s “Our Ukraine” bloc (<a href="http://www.razom.org.ua/"target=_blank>www.razom.org.ua</a>). But instead of news and statements made by the visitors, one is simply asked to donate any sum of money to a “virtual lady” named Oksana Raychuk, who holds an account at the Kyiv regional branch of PrivatBank. A list is posted of those who have supported the marauder during the last week by donating sums varying from 4 American dollars to 350 American dollars. On the contrary, the owner of <a href="http://www.orange-revolution.org"target=_blank>www.orange-revolution.org</a> does not even demonstrate enough nobility to publish the names of his victims. “Virtual mister” Andriy Shamray, who has an account at the Dnipropetrovsk branch of the above-mentioned PrivatBank, has created another fake orange web site, based on an article stolen from “The Daily Telegraph” (<a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk"target=_blank>www.telegraph.co.uk</a>).

Domain names can be easily tracked on the Internet. We can identify the real owner of the servers on which the marauders' sites are located from the responses of DNS-servers and the reference of RIPE and LROR data bases. A businessman from Moscow named Alexander Shpagin is the one reponsible for <a href="http://www.2advantage.net"target=_blank>www.2advantage.net</a>, and the server <a href="http://www.orange-revolution.org/"target=_blank>www.orange-revolution.org</a> is owned by Paul Charfauros from Southern Pasadena, USA. Although the open data bases provide the contact information of these people, it turned to be impossible to contact them.

Of course, it is good that the national consciousness of the Ukrainian people has gained admiration all over the world. It is also good that donators from prosperous foreign countries feel for the hungry and cold heroes of Independence Square. Legitimate donations for assisting the protesters are collected via the Internet on the web sites of well-known social and political organizations. But before making a contribution to Ukrainian democracy, a foreign donator should know more about who can be trusted in Ukraine. To this end, the following web sites are helpful, as is careful familiarization with credible mass-media:
<a href="http://www.razom.org.ua/" target=_blank>www.razom.org.ua</a>, <a href="http://www.maidan.org.ua/"target=_blank>www.maidan.org.ua</a>, <a href="http://www.pora.org.ua/"target=_blank>www.pora.org.ua</a>, and <a href="http://www.znayu.org.ua/"target=_blank>www.znayu.org.ua</a>

Written by Yuriy SHELYAZHENKO, <a href="http://www.happy.in.ua"target=_blank>www.happy.in.ua</a>

Print version // Edit // Delete // URL: http://maidan.org.ua/static/enews/1102757551.html