Security News > 2022 > May > FBI warns of Ukrainian charities impersonated to steal donations
Scammers are claiming to be collecting donations to help Ukrainian refugees and war victims while impersonating legitimate Ukrainian humanitarian aid organizations, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
"The FBI warns the public of fraudulent schemes seeking donations or other financial assistance related to the crisis in Ukraine," the US law enforcement agency said this week in a public service announcement.
As BleepingComputer has also reported in March, we've seen an explosion of "Help Ukraine" and "Donate to Ukraine" scams attempting to convince donors they are legitimate charities collecting donations to support Ukraine since the start of the war.
These scams have slowly escalated, with crooks impersonating the Ukrainian government, the Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund, the Act for Peace, and UNICEF. They are particularly dangerous given that they appeal to emotions that many may not be able to resist, especially during moments when donations could prove to be crucial to helping Ukrainians affected by the ongoing war.
The FBI advises those who want to make donations to Ukrainian charities and people affected by the Russian war to always check the information they're receiving via online communication methods.
Best practices to verify charities include, but are not limited to, researching the charity online to see if there are news, reviews, or posts linking the charity to fraud; checking to see if the charity is registered with your state's charity regulator, if available; and checking the Internal Revenue Service's website to see if the charity is registered.