Gary Kraser, resident in Florida, managed to fool 50 people in 2 days, collecting nearly $40.000. He is the first person charged with fraud linked to Katrina.

As the authorities declared, the man used a website (AirKatrina.com) to raise funds for rescue missions in Louisiana. His plan was very clever. He claimed he was flying over there with medical supplies, and that he helped rescuing people with his plane.

He posted a message to make his scam more eligible.

“I am shaking as I write this, as I just arrived home, and just now allowed my body and mind to accept what I saw tonight…I saw dogs wrapped in electrical lines still alive and sparks flying from their bodies being electrocuted, as well as some people dead already. If I had a helicopter, I would be there now rather than back in FL…I’m so sorry I couldn’t do more…I’m crying and hugging my dog next to me now…I will hear these screams for the rest of my life.”

He stated he funded with his personal money all the rescue operations and now needs more money to buy fuel. On the second day he posted another sensible message to reach much more easily into people’s pockets. This time was about how he “rescued” a 7 months old baby. “If we didn’t have the plane, I don’t think the little baby would have survived…She is undergoing transplant surgery at this moment I am writing…7 mos old, and smiling the whole way, as if she knew.”

Kraser collected the money by wire transfers or by PayPal(which cooperated very fast with the investigation).