Donors flag online scams targeting patients in need of blood in Keralam’s Kozhikode

representative image | Photo credit: V Sreenivasa Murthy

Emergency blood donation appeals sent through social media groups are allegedly being misused by fraudsters to extort money from patients and their relatives, prompting a group of prominent blood donors in Kerala’s Kozhikode district to seek police intervention.

Unknown scammers are said to be contacting people responding to urgent blood requests, offering to donate and then requesting advance payments online for travel expenses and other expenses. After receiving the money, they are said to disappear without coming to donate blood.

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A group of regular blood donors attached to a voluntary organization from Mukkam has revealed that fraudsters are also using the contact numbers of voluntary organizations as a link to gain the trust of blood seekers.

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“In a recent case, the volunteer force ‘Ente Mukkam’ arranged a rare blood type for a patient at a cancer care center free of charge with the help of a donor from Manjeri. Subsequently, unidentified persons posing as students of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) contacted the patient and sought money to fulfill other requirements,” says a volunteer attached to the Mukkom-based organization.

He says the number used to contact the needy patients has already been traced so they can proceed with further legal action.

However, many victims are yet to come forward to reveal their experiences or the amounts they have lost. Donors urged the police to investigate the incidents and identify those responsible based on the digital evidence they secured.

Police sources say this is the first time such incidents have been encountered in Kozhikode district. Investigations will be initiated if victims file written complaints detailing digital transactions, they added.

The incidents have raised concerns among several local volunteer blood donor networks in mountainous areas, where social media groups are often used to coordinate urgent requests. A number of them also suspect the suspected involvement of local fraudsters in these incidents.

Verification required

In the wake of recent cases of fraud, donors and volunteers associated with major volunteer groups have also urged the public to verify the identity of potential donors through recognized organizations and refrain from paying advances to unknown individuals under the guise of donating blood.

Published – November 6, 2026 12:21 PM IST