What an idiot.
Tsunami 'Wave Rat' Had Best Intentions, Mother Says
A Canadian student was called a "wave rat" for offering the domain name "tsunamirelief.com" for $50,000 on the online auction site eBay, but his mother said he was only trying to raise money for relief efforts.
The 20-year-old art student, Josh Kaplan, was the subject of a tabloid front-page headline on Monday when the New York Post dubbed him a "wave rat" and suggested he was trying to profit from disaster.
The domain name had been initially registered by Michelle Tirado of Southbury, Connecticut, the morning she heard news of the tsunami disaster.
Tirado, a freelance journalist who registers domain names to sell for profit as a sideline, listed it for sale with an asking bid of $99, but donated it to Kaplan, who she said claimed to represent an international fund-raising effort.
After finding the sale listing on eBay with a $50,000 starting bid, Tirado thought there was something fishy going on. "I thought there was a good chance this is fraud," Tirado said in a telephone interview.
Tirado said Kaplan sent her an angry e-mail on Monday complaining about the newspaper story.
The domain name was voluntarily withdrawn from eBay by the seller, according to eBay spokesman Chris Donlay, who said the online service had strict policies on charity sale items that ensured the purchase price goes to a specific charity.