Gaza Gofundme Scams: How to Avoid Getting Tricked

Gaza GoFundMe scams are on the rise, and it's essential to be aware of the warning signs to avoid getting tricked.

Many scammers use fake GoFundMe pages to raise money for fictional causes, often claiming to support Palestinians in Gaza.

Be cautious of pages that lack a clear photo or video of the person or cause being supported.

Scammers often use emotional appeals to manipulate donors, so it's crucial to verify the authenticity of a page before donating.

If this caught your attention, see: Gofundme for Gaza

Be cautious of scammers who send asks accompanied by a follow, even if you've never interacted before. This is often a sign that they're just going down a list of random blogs.

To verify the authenticity of a blog, enable timestamps and check the oldest post. If a blog seems old but suspicious, be wary of post backdating.

Scammers often disable or delete comments on their donation post to hide negative feedback. Check the notes for phrases like "some replies have been hidden, blocked or removed."

Here are some red flags to watch out for in a scam:

Reporting scammers for spam or phishing and the PayPal account for fraudulent activity can help get these accounts taken down.

If you receive an ask from a blog with no original posts or interests, it's likely a scammer trying to get your attention.

They often send asks accompanied with a follow despite having never interacted with you before. To verify this, ask yourself: How did you find your blog? If they're just going down a list of random blogs, it's a red flag.

Enable timestamps on your blog to see when posts were made. If a blog seems old but still seems suspicious, be wary of post backdating.

Scammers often disable or delete comments on their donation post to hide comments that call them out. Check the notes for a message saying "some replies have been hidden, blocked or removed." If you still see telling comments in reblogs of a post but not the original, it's a giveaway.

Some scammers copy-paste their story and ask, or have suspicious details like using different names or goal amounts. Be cautious of these inconsistencies.

A completely random string of words as a blog name is another suspicious sign.

Reverse image searching can be helpful, but don't trust it – scammers often steal images from private Facebook groups/profiles.

If you suspect a scam, reporting them for spam or phishing and the PayPal account for fraudulent activity can help get these accounts taken down.

Here are some key signs to watch out for:

Criminals want you to react quickly, and they often use major news events to their advantage. This can include humanitarian crises like the Israel-Gaza conflict.

Scammers know that people are more likely to act impulsively when they're already thinking about a particular issue. They'll send out emails with emotive calls to action, such as "Your Chance to Support Israel" or "Gaza children appeal for your support".

These emails often link to websites that mimic legitimate charities, prompting users to part with their money. Fraudsters are also getting clever, tweaking the language in their emails to bypass spam filters.

To avoid falling victim to these scams, be cautious of emails that create a sense of urgency. Scammers want you to react now, and they'll use any means necessary to make that happen.

For another approach, see: Gofundme Israel

Crowdsourced fundraising platforms like GoFundMe promise support, but in practice, it's not that simple. Palestinians whose campaign has achieved its goal still face the hurdle of accessing the funds.

GoFundMe doesn't enable direct fund distribution into Palestinian bank accounts. This forces Gazans to rely on beneficiaries abroad to receive and send funds via money transfer systems such as Western Union or PayPal.

Complaints have been levelled against PayPal for freezing accounts deemed "high risk". Reports of pro-Israeli saboteurs trying to thwart Palestinian fundraisers by reporting campaigns for suspicious activities have also emerged.

PayPal has long been accused of discriminating against Palestinians. Operation Olive Branch has also had to impose additional verification measures to counter scammers who appropriate Palestinians' images and videos to steal donations.

Sanctions imposed against Hamas by Israel and Western governments require international financial institutions to comply with heightened anti-money laundering and counterterror financing regulations. Companies have required people to provide additional information as part of the measures.

This can include collection of sensitive personal and biometric data. This in turn poses significant privacy concerns, especially because the data could be shared with other parties, including US and Israeli law and intelligence agencies.

See what others are reading: Paypal for Gofundme