A bogus website masquerading as that of the Disasters Emergency Committee has been taken down. The enforcement action follows warnings yesterday (3 February) that the site, decuk.org, which claimed to be collecting funds to help victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster was not to be trusted.

The site, which looked like an older version of the official DEC page, was promoted through spam emails, headed "Urgent Tsunami Earthquake Appeal" containing the fake site's URL. Visitors were asked to hand over credit card details and personal information. The real Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) says it has nothing to do with the impostor, and informed Scotland Yard's Computer Crime Unit. DEC is seeking to recover any money handed over to the fake site.

Officers from Scotland Yard, working in conjunction with services providers, have succeeded in getting the site shut down, the Metropolitan Police confirmed today. No arrests have been made. A police investigation into the counterfeit site continues. ®

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