Most crowdfunding is genuine and does real good. Fabricated campaigns exploit the same emotional mechanics, and spread furthest precisely when they are most affecting — a sick child, a disaster, a funeral.
Checks worth making
- Who is the organiser, and what is their stated connection to the beneficiary? Genuine campaigns are specific about this.
- Reverse-image search the photographs. Images taken from news coverage or other campaigns are a common feature.
- Look for verifiable corroboration — a named hospital, a local news report, an identifiable employer.
- Check when the account was created. Campaigns run from accounts made days earlier deserve scrutiny.
Disaster-driven campaigns
After a disaster, fraudulent appeals appear within hours, often mimicking established charities with near-identical names and logos. Give to organisations you already know, reached through their own website typed in yourself, rather than through a link in a social media post or message.
How to give
Use established crowdfunding platforms, which maintain fraud teams and in some cases refund guarantees. Avoid direct bank transfers, mobile money or cryptocurrency to individuals — these are unrecoverable and are requested precisely for that reason. For registered charities, check the national charity register and donate through the charity's own site.
If you gave to a fraudulent campaign
Report it to the platform, which can freeze remaining funds and sometimes refund donors. Card payments can be disputed. Report to the national fraud reporting body — these campaigns have many victims and platform-level action protects the others.