The rule that stops this scam: scammers often request donations via gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency. Stick to standard payment methods like credit cards, which offer an added layer of fraud protection — and never donate to a campaign you haven't independently verified.
How the scam works
Step 1
The timing
Fake campaigns launch within hours of a disaster making headlines, when public sympathy and urgency are highest.
Step 2
The fabricated story
A named victim, photo, and emotional story are invented or stolen from real news coverage to feel authentic.
Step 3
The payment request
Donations are directed to gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency — methods that are nearly impossible to trace or reverse.
Step 4
The disappearance
The campaign vanishes once enough money is collected, with no trace of the organizer.
How to spot it
- A campaign launched immediately after a disaster hits the news, with no verifiable connection to local relief efforts.
- No GoFundMe "Verified" badge or independent news coverage confirming the story.
- A request to donate via gift card, wire transfer, or cryptocurrency instead of a standard payment method.
What to do
- Search for independent news coverage of the story before donating.
- Look for GoFundMe's "Verified" badge and a clear organizer-to-beneficiary connection.
- Always donate by credit card, never gift card, wire transfer, or crypto.
- If you've already donated to a fake campaign, report it to GoFundMe's Trust & Safety team and file a report at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Egidio: your automatic phishing detector
Fake charity campaigns are often shared via text with a direct donation link. Egidio flags known scam links before you click.
Egidio screens incoming calls and scans links arriving through your messaging apps in real time and blocks known fraudulent pages the moment they're recognised.
Install Egidio