KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Government is warning donors both at home and overseas to be on high alert for fake online donation pages created to steal funds intended for Hurricane Melissa relief efforts.
Dr. Andrew Wheatley, Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Science, Technology and Special Projects, says cybercriminals are attempting to exploit the nation’s tragedy by diverting donations meant for affected families and communities.
Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday morning at Jamaica House, Dr. Wheatley confirmed that the Jamaica Cyber Incident Response Team (JaCIRT) has issued an urgent alert after detecting at least 28 suspicious domains mimicking official government and charity websites.
“These malicious actors are creating fake websites with names similar to Jamaica’s official donation portal,” Dr. Wheatley warned. “Some of these sites are still under development but could go live in the coming days.”
The Minister emphasized that the only legitimate government website for official Hurricane Melissa relief donations is:
👉 www.supportjamaica.gov.jm
Dr. Wheatley urged donors to verify web addresses carefully before contributing and to be cautious of messages urging them to “act fast” or donate immediately — a common tactic used by scammers.
“Scammers often create false urgency to trick people into skipping basic checks,” he noted, adding that donors giving through private charities should independently verify their legitimacy before sending funds.
International supporters were also encouraged to use only the official government donation portal to ensure their contributions reach those truly in need.
