Following Hurricane Melissa's devastation in Jamaica in October 2025, cybercriminals launched a series of online scams exploiting the disaster. These scams included phishing campaigns, fake charity websites, and fraudulent financial-relief portals impersonating legitimate aid organizations. Attackers used social engineering tactics to prey on victims' compassion and urgency, often deploying scams within hours of the hurricane. A prominent example involved a cryptocurrency donation site with fabricated transaction data and static images to appear authentic. Numerous fraudulent domains soliciting cryptocurrency donations were identified. While primarily targeting individuals, these scams undermine trust in digital charity platforms and complicate legitimate relief efforts. European organizations involved in disaster relief, financial services, or public awareness campaigns should be vigilant. The threat is medium severity due to social engineering reliance and no direct system exploitation. Mitigation requires enhanced awareness, domain monitoring, and collaboration between cybersecurity entities and relief organizations.
