Groups warn of bogus donation calls exploiting helpers’ deaths in Hong Kong fire
Workers’ rights organisation, three other concern groups urge public to refrain from donating directly to victims’ families, citing fraudulent appeals
In a joint statement on Tuesday, the Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims, the Indonesian Migrant Workers’ Network, Beranda Migran and the Coordination of Returned Indonesian Migrants urged the public to refrain from donating directly to the families of the deceased workers.
“We understand that some members of the public are openly soliciting donations for the families of deceased foreign domestic workers. In this regard, we strongly urge caution as many are exploiting the current situation,” the statement said.
As of Tuesday, nine Indonesians and a Filipino were among at least 156 people who died in the blaze at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po. The 10 were among more than 200 helpers working at the housing complex. The fate of 30 helpers remains unclear.
“We have seen suspicious individuals exploiting the fire incident to commit fraud, which is deeply concerning. It is possible that someone may use the family members’ documents to engage in fraud and profit from it,” the groups said.
They pointed to an online post on social media platform Threads calling for donations to the husband of a deceased Indonesian helper, Erawati.