April 16, 2013
Soon after the Boston bombing occurred, related domain names started being registered.
While the intentions of many of the registrants isn't known, at least one person has already decided to attempt to capitalize on the tragedy; attempting to sell a related domain name for a "buy now" price of $20,000 and claiming it is a "a fraction of what a big news network would pay".
That may not be the case. The name was put up on an auction site at around 8am Australian Eastern time this morning; very soon after the explosions. The starting bid is $15,000 and at the time of writing no bids have been recorded.
TheDomains noted earlier today there are least 125 freshly registered domain names relating to the bombing at the Boston Marathon.
Major current events have been the trigger for many mini-domain name rushes, such as the recent election of Pope Francis; but where tragedy is involved and the registrants' intentions are purely motivated by profit, those parties usually come under very heavy criticism.
Of course, the dollar signs associated with such registrations aren't always for profit - a percentage are established for fundraising for relief efforts. But this too can be fraught with danger for unwary donors and people should exercise due diligence before parting with their cash or participating in other fundraising schemes.
The New York Times reports fake Boston Marathon Twitter accounts already appearing, one promising to donate money for retweets.
For an official contact point for donors, The American Red Cross is accepting monetary donations. It was calling earlier for blood donations, but appears people have been giving blood in droves.
"Thanks to generosity of volunteer blood donors there is currently enough blood on the shelves to meet demand," says the organisation.
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