PSA: "International Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby" scam on social networks
At least three scammers have shown up on Diaspora claiming to belong to an utterly invisible to search engines "International Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby", following people and inevitably pitching for contributions (via Bitcoin of course)
This is by all appearances a scam.
DDG shows no results for the organization.
Similarly Google (note that it "helpfully" expands the search when no exact match is found)
Bing (note that it "helpfully" expands the search)
Startpage (also expands search when exact match isn't found)
Among scamming users on Diaspora:
"Suzen Lee": https://joindiaspora.com/people/a0d6113de1c6e868
"ionas" appears to have canceled their account: https://www.joindiaspora.com/people/3f48ac202b35942f
Typical pitch text
This is the text appearing on Suzen Lee's Diaspora stream presently:
Guided by our values of integrity, equality, respect, diversity and partnership, we work to improve the lives of those who experience discrimination and abuse because of their sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, and to achieve a world with human rights for everyone, everywhere.
Our work requires the development of strong human rights movements globally, which is why building advocacy partnerships is at the heart of what we do. As partners, we work hand-in-hand with local activists to strengthen their capacity to confront human rights violations at home. Together with our partners, we create visibility for human rights violations by monitoring and documenting abuses and by responding to human rights emergencies. We stand firm with those who seek to change discriminatory laws and policies affecting our communities.
Four critical goals shape our work: We advocate for the elimination of discriminatory laws, policies and practices, such as sodomy laws which empower police and other authorities to abuse, harass, extort, imprison and execute us. We support the enactment and implementation of anti-discrimination laws policies and practices to help build a world that is more equitable and fair. We strive to reduce family, community and state-sanctioned violence, publicly condemning all forms of violence against individuals because of their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. And we actively promote economic, social and cultural rights, such as those related to employment, housing, education and health.
Our work is critically needed; more than 80 countries still criminalize consensual same-sex intimacy. And every day in countries around the world, from Brazil to Botswana, Bulgaria to Bangladesh, those who challenge sexual or gender norms are arrested, forced into psychiatric "treatment" or marriage, denied basic job protections, health care, and parental rights, brutally attacked, tortured, and even murdered.
We bring a fluid understanding of identity to our work. We support people who experience violations to their rights on the basis of their actual or perceived sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. This means that we work with those self-identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex (LGBTI) and with those whose identities do not fit the LGBTI paradigm, such as those who call themselves tongzhi or hijra.
We work for the day when people with diverse sexualities can flourish. We work for the day when all human beings are valued, and treated with dignity and respect. We work for the day when justice becomes a reality, everywhere.
Please, make a contribution today to keep up the momentum and the pressure for change.
Our Bitcoin address for donations is: 1B4QCVfMTdEGxBfnaegYBvSyEfWRAYmvEu
h/t @Stuart Duckworth
#gay #lesbian #lgbt #lgbtq #scam #scammers #bitcoin #1B4QCVfMTdEGxBfnaegYBvSyEfWRAYmvEu