Fundraising efforts for people in quake-hit communities in central Japan have raised more than 10 billion yen, or about 67 million dollars, through donations from across the country.

Four major portal sites of a national tax-reduction system known as "Furusato Nozei" have promoted a fundraising scheme for people who want to donate money to affected municipalities in exchange for a tax cut.

They collected about 28 million dollars in total as of Wednesday. Some municipalities other than those affected are also offering to handle the donation applications by proxy to help reduce paperwork in the disaster-hit area.

Ishikawa Prefecture has raised more than 60 million dollars through donation boxes set up at its offices and a designated bank account for sending in money.

Police and the Consumer Affairs Agency are calling on people to watch out for swindlers who pretend to represent welfare or public organizations, as seen in disasters in the past. They are urging donors to confirm beforehand the activities of the organizations and how the money will be used.