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Donating to help people in Ukraine? Check out the group or person before sending money by cryptocurrency or any other payment method.

You may have heard that the government of Ukraine is receiving donations by cryptocurrency. Unfortunately, scammers have heard this too and they’ve been posting on social media, as well as sending direct messages, to trick people into sending them money.

We’ve heard reports of dishonest people setting up accounts on cryptocurrency exchange platforms. They’re lying and saying that any donations they collect will help people in Ukraine. But instead of using the official government of Ukraine’s wallet address, they’re using their own — and the money is going straight to scammers. Especially in these hard times, people want to know the money to help people in Ukraine is going where it’s needed, and not getting wasted on scammers.

So, if you want to donate to help Ukraine by using cryptocurrency or any other payment method, and you want to be sure your money goes where it will do the most good, slow down.

  • Check out the charity organization or individual requesting donations. Search online for the name of the group, plus words like “review,” “scam,” or “complaint.” And see what groups like the BBB Wise Giving Alliance, Charity Navigator, and CharityWatch are saying about the charity you’re considering. For more information on how to research organizations, visit ftc.gov/charity.

  • Before donating money by using cryptocurrency, do an online search of the wallet address. Confirm that you’re sending money to the real address. Anyone can create websites and social media posts requesting that you donate with cryptocurrency. If someone got in touch out of the blue to ask for money, even a donation, it might be a scam. Remember that you can’t typically reverse cryptocurrency payments and you can’t get the money back unless someone sends it back to you. Visit ftc.gov/cryptocurrency for more information on avoiding crypto scams.

If you spot a scam, report it to ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to your state attorney general. Be sure to include the scammer’s cryptocurrency wallet address in the report.

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The purpose of this blog and its comments section is to inform readers about Federal Trade Commission activity, and share information to help them avoid, report, and recover from fraud, scams, and bad business practices. Your thoughts, ideas, and concerns are welcome, and we encourage comments. But keep in mind, this is a moderated blog. We review all comments before they are posted, and we won’t post comments that don’t comply with our commenting policy. We expect commenters to treat each other and the blog writers with respect.

  • We won’t post off-topic comments, repeated identical comments, or comments that include sales pitches or promotions.
  • We won’t post comments that include vulgar messages, personal attacks by name, or offensive terms that target specific people or groups.
  • We won’t post threats, defamatory statements, or suggestions or encouragement of illegal activity.
  • We won’t post comments that include personal information, like Social Security numbers, account numbers, home addresses, and email addresses. To file a detailed report about a scam, go to ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

We don't edit comments to remove objectionable content, so please ensure that your comment contains none of the above. The comments posted on this blog become part of the public domain. To protect your privacy and the privacy of other people, please do not include personal information. Opinions in comments that appear in this blog belong to the individuals who expressed them. They do not belong to or represent views of the Federal Trade Commission.

Zachary H Krasner
March 25, 2022

Despicable. Absolutely despicable.