Charity on the Internet: How to identify scammers

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Facebook has been experiencing a wave of fake fundraising campaigns. The pattern is familiar: Attackers create groups from scratch to which they add a couple of posts. They provide bank transfer details along with a bunch of tear-jerking comments.

The groups tend to follow a template. The group’s name contains an appeal for help, and the posts provide emotional stories, usually about terminally ill children whose suffering is illustrated by photos and videos that are posted on the page.

Some of the posts are practically word-for-word copies of posts in other fraudulent groups. The only details that differ in each group are the child’s name, his or her diagnosis, and the name of the hospital where they are receiving treatment. Frequently the contact information and the bank transfer details are the same for multiple groups — which, by the way, is the most reliable indicator of the scam.

New scam groups appear every month, and even though complaints shut them down quickly, some users are inevitably taken in and transfer money to the scammers.

How can you tell scammers from genuine people and real charitable foundations?

Of course, along with fake groups on Facebook, real people with real problems are also raising funds. Therefore, the takeaway is not to ignore all requests for aid on the Internet. We have compiled a list of clues for you to factor in when deciding whether a fundraising campaign is genuine.

The age of the group and its content

If a group is just a few weeks old and contains only three posts, but has been viewed and reposted several thousand times, it is most likely run by scammers and cheats. Real communities take time to develop, and the organizers of these groups provide significantly more information.

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