An aviation lawyer has expressed disgust at reports that scammers were targeting families of passengers on board Malaysia Airlines (MAS) MH370, with fake compensation claims.

Floyd Wisner, from Chicago, USA, who has represented passengers and families involved in some air disasters, lamented that the families had been through enough over the past five weeks.

“It is shameful that any person would attempt to take advantage of people in this state of vulnerability, and I hope that law enforcement is investigating.

“This has been five weeks of hell for families, from misinformation to confused information, to lawyers making improper claims and now, scammers attempting to fleece them for money," he said in a statement released here on Monday.

The attorney was referring to recent reports that a bogus e-mail purported to come from MAS has been sent to families, requesting they contact a Malaysian bank to arrange compensation.

However, the e-mail reportedly advises that "administrative charges" must be paid before funds are released.

Wisner said families should be aware that no fee should ever be required to access legitimate compensation and that they should “seek professional and experienced aviation counsel to protect their rights.”

He recently revealed that he had spoken to families of passengers who were forming a “families association” to present a united front and discuss their claims as a group.

Flight MH370, with 227 passengers, including two infants, and 12 crew vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, about an hour after taking off from the KL International Airport in Sepang on March 8.