A thing that everyone can do in war times is to donate funds (donations) to those who really need it. Even a cup of coffee can be replaced by a good cause — supporting heroes and people who suffered from war. But since the start of the full-scale invasion have appeared many pages can be used by fraudsters to obtain funds under the charity guise. In addition, personal data theft, accounts hacking are also common in the context of charitable activities. Therefore, you need to be careful when making donations to direct the funds to where they will be of maximum benefit.
How do fraudulent organisations work?
Fraudulent charities try to take advantage of your generosity and compassion for those in need. Fraudsters seek to steal your funds or personal data. Fraud existed even before a full-scale invasion, but in wartime there are more opportunities to take advantage of citizens’ good intentions. Moreover, their activities interfere with the official organisations work.
Fraudsters try to impersonate well-known charities. They operate in different ways: they can approach in the street and collect funds, create fake websites that look like real foundations, or make phone calls and send emails that can also be phishing.
There are several rules for your safety and to protect yourself from fraud, as well as several risks that, on the contrary, increase the chance that your funds will not be used for good.
What should be done:
- Research the organisations you would like to donate to. First, choose a field - support for the army, support for the victims, help for children or medicines or humanitarian aid purchase. Next, ask friends or search the Internet for organisations that are engaged in such charity.
- Pay attention to the organisation's website, whether there is a report photo or the report itself with the funds expenditure. Verified foundations are interested in constantly speaking and reporting on their work, because this is what people's trust is based on. So, for example, on the website of the ‘Return Alive’ foundation information is immediately available.
- Check the organisation's registration documents to see if they even exist. If not, write an official letter requesting the official fund registration information.
- Check the site address and interface correctness. If you found the organisation on your friends’ advice or on a third-party resource, then check the address of the organisation itself, whether it is the one you found. Some sites may be phishing or fraudulent, but they try to create an interface that is the same as that of official funds. Also, make sure that the site has a secure connection, meaning it is secure from a security point of view. So, firstly, the site should have a lock, which means a secure connection, and the address itself should have https, not http.
Example:
- Make sure what the funds will be used for. The organisation must clearly indicate for which sphere or for what the funds are collected. If this information is missing, you can write a formal request letter. Fraudsters often resort to sentimental stories without understanding how much money and what is really needed.
- Remember that you should know the people who are spreading the information about donation opportunities and have confidence in their reputation and trustworthiness.
- This is especially true when you want to personally transfer funds not to an organisation, but to volunteers who collect funds for the army or victims needs.
- Monitor information about your donations to understand who and how much you sent, and whether the correct amount was withdrawn from your account when you wanted to make a payment.
What should not be done?
- Do not give in to emotions. Although it is difficult in war times, but in order to definitely do a good deed that will bring benefits, you need to think rationally. Fraudsters can post photos or stories of people or write emotional texts. However, it is important to always check first, and then react emotionally and form your attitude towards the organisation. Do not let anyone force you to donate money. Intrusiveness is very characteristic of fraudsters.
- Do not enter personal data on the organisation's website. It is about banking data and personal data about your location and last name. If you are using the site for the first time, transfer payments using bank details, without giving the Foundation site your data, such as card number or pin codes. This is what the details of the ‘Come Back Alive’ Foundation fund look like.
- Do not make cash donations. Use funds transfer. For example, in ‘Diia’ there is an opportunity to transfer funds to support the army. The National Bank of Ukraine has its own details for receiving payments.
- Do not spread fake information. Before sharing information about helping someone, carefully review the post you want to share and its author. Check its veracity, talk to the author of the post or the people who spread the information, whether they personally know people who need help.
- Do not open emails or messenger messages from strangers sending you a link and a request to transfer funds to charity. Also, such attention letters may contain a thank you for the funds that have already been donated, which you did not send. Emails and messages can be phishing and contain viruses. Sometimes such messages in messengers can also come from acquaintances whose accounts were hacked by intruders.
How to donate in cryptocurrency?
You can also donate in cryptocurrency, but this also creates opportunities for fraudsters. Instead of using the official ‘wallet’ details of the Ukrainian government, they use their own. Therefore, you should not rush to transfer funds, but carefully review where and to whom you are sending. Use verified websites to find donation opportunities. Below is such a list.
What should you do if you have suffered from fraud?
If you've been victimized by online fraud, report it to the cyber police via email: callcenter@cyberpolice.gov.ua
You can find contacts of verified charitable foundations in various directions on the sites.
In particular, keep these foundations in mind:
- ‘UNITED24’, launched by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, as the main platform for collecting charitable donations in support of Ukraine. Funds are transferred to the official accounts of the National Bank of Ukraine and directed by the relevant ministries to the main needs. Available financial transfer options: credit card, bank transfer, PayPal, cryptocurrency.
Donate money here.
Supporting the Armed Forces of Ukraine - our defenders
- ‘Come Back Alive’ Foundation was founded in 2014. ‘Come Back Alive’ has become the most prominent organisation supporting the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The foundation's mission is limited to providing technology, training, and equipment to save the lives of Ukrainians and help our soldiers defend Ukraine.
Donate money here.
- Serhii Prytula's Foundation has been helping the Ukrainian army since Russia occupied Crimea and Donbas in 2014. Purchase of equipment, supplies, medical equipment, and vehicles for the military. Another area of work is humanitarian aid.
Donate money here.
- ‘The Hospitaller Battalion’ is a volunteer paramedic organisation founded at the beginning of hostilities in Ukraine in 2014. Donations for the battalion go toward medical supplies and medicines for wounded Ukrainian defenders.
Donate money here.
- ‘Razom’ — emergency response, the project provides urgent assistance and support in an extreme or unforeseen situation in Ukraine. ‘Razom’ initiative delivers tactical medicines, medical supplies, emergency supplies, and humanitarian aid.
Donate money here.
- Team ‘SUN’ organized a targeted donation for protective equipment for Ukraine that is not yet available in Ukraine. In particular, to purchase body armor for Ukrainian frontline civilian defenders and volunteers.
Donate money here.
- ‘Army SOS’ is a public initiative that coordinates the efforts of people to help Ukrainian soldiers. It is engaged in the purchase of the necessary ammunition, shields, means of communication and intelligence equipment, uniforms and food, and delivers all goods directly to the location of the unit, handing them directly into the hands of our soldiers.
Donate money here.
- ‘Kolo’ is an organisation created by Ukrainian technology experts who are fighting on the technological front. They quickly supply the necessary equipment to our soldiers in hot spots.
Donate money here.
- ‘Wings of the Phoenix’ is an organisation that provides the Ukrainian army with the necessary assistance to provide appropriate equipment and uniforms, individual non-lethal protection (vests, helmets), necessary treatment for wounded soldiers and the purchase of individual first-aid kits, and repair of buildings used by the army.
Donate money here.
Humanitarian aid
- ‘VOSTOK SOS’ is the volunteer initiative, which volunteers provide assistance to the military aggression victims in the east of the country and in Crimea. They helped to find shelter for internally displaced persons (IDPs), assisted in the people`s evacuation from the conflict zone, collected and distributed humanitarian aid to IDPs in Kyiv as well as delivered humanitarian aid to front-line settlements, and provided first psychological aid.
Donate money here.
- ‘United Help Ukraine’ is a charity organisation that receives and distributes humanitarian aid, medical supplies and other aid to wounded warriors.
Donate money here.
- Red Cross Society helps people affected by the armed conflicts, natural disasters, catastrophes or accidents, migration process or other humanitarian crisis. All funds will be used to support injured, blood collection, mobilization of volunteers and resources.
Donate money here.
- The Charitable Foundation ‘Corporation of Monsters’ provides the hemostatic tourniquets, body armor and helmets for Ukrainian defenders and also humanitarian assistance to the civilians, particularly those who are on the verge of survival today: single mothers, elderly lonely people, bedridden and disabled children.
Donate money here.
- ‘Good deeds foundation’ collects and delivers humanitarian aid to hot spots in Ukraine.
Donate money here.
- The Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine. The funds donated to this account will be used to provide food and shelter for refugees and citizens that have been displaced due to military conflict and also to purchase staple goods and provide the most essential needs of the the population.
Donate money here.
- The ‘Palianytsia’ organisation helps refugees and war victims.
Donate money here.
Support for children
- The Foundation «Voices of children» which supports children effected by the war, provides psychological and psychosocial assistance since 2015.
Donate money here.
- Charity Foundation ‘Tabletochki’ supports children with cancer in Ukraine. Donate money here.
- UNICEF Foundation on Ukrainian children support provides support for children in Ukraine and in neighbouring countries. Today UNICEF provides humanitarian aid in extended scope including lifesaving means provision such as water and hygiene kits, medicines, warm clothing and blankets, medical supplies for those effected by violence.
Donate money here.
Medical supplies
- Foundation ‘Dobrobut’ is the hospital that raises money for medicines and urgent medical care for the Armed Forces of Ukraine soldiers.
Donate money here.
- International Charity Foundation ‘Health Of the Ukrainian People’ raises money on medicines and consumables supply for Ukrainian health care facilities and medical personnel who daily safe lives in Ukraine.
Donate money here.
Animals support
- ‘UAnimals’ is the Ukrainian animal protection organisation which was established in 2016. Since the full-scale war beginning the organisation supports financially the shelters, provides them with food and tries to evacuate animals to other countries safer places in Ukraine.
Donate money here.
- ‘Sirius’ Shelter is the biggest shelter in Ukraine that is currently engaged in housing animals in Ukraine and abroad. There are more than 3000 animals in the shelter. The shelter helps to evacuate animals and uses money on food and medicines.
Donate money here.
Thank you for being proactive and every donate for Ukrainians` defence and the rebuild of Ukraine. Be cautious and follow our recommendations while donating.
