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- For evil deeds: how scammers deceive Russians under the pretext of charity
For evil deeds: how scammers deceive Russians under the pretext of charity
Fraudsters use charity to deceive Russians, experts warn. According to the Interior Ministry, the attackers launch fundraising for the "treatment" of sick people or organize criminal schemes related to major emergencies that have thundered throughout the country. Read the details in the Izvestia article.
Why is charity interesting to scammers?
Fake resources of charitable organizations are created relatively regularly, says Evgeny Egorov, a leading analyst at the Digital Risk Protection department of F6, in an interview with Izvestia. The appearance of fake websites, social media pages, and online announcements of charitable foundations is most often associated with specific information events, tragic events, and holidays that scammers adapt to.
— For example, before the New Year, we recorded the appearance of several dozen fake resources of supposedly charitable foundations and NGOs, — says the expert. "In order to steal money and data from caring people, fraudsters can impersonate not only the organizations themselves, but also employees of various foundations and volunteers," the source points out.
The field of charity is interesting to scammers in many ways because it is extremely difficult to prove criminal intent in related schemes, adds Yakov Filevsky, an expert on sociotechnical testing at Angara Security.
Attackers often use real tragedies, which makes it difficult to identify the criminal component. And since help is often provided free of charge and anonymously, without expecting to receive anything in return, it is extremely difficult to track the result of using funds. This is actively used by scammers.
What kind of charity schemes should we expect this year?
One of the most relevant fraud schemes in 2025 under the pretext of charity is described in the materials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, cited by RIA Novosti. According to these documents, the attackers are launching fundraising for the "treatment" of seriously ill people. "This scheme raises funds for an already terminally ill person with the promise of treatment in a clinic that is ready to take on a difficult case," the department explained. "After collecting the money, the patient dies, which makes fraud difficult to prove."
In the coming months, fraudsters will use new information opportunities and refine old methods, says Yakov Filevsky. Time will tell who will become the "heroes" of these schemes — victims of floods or droughts, residents of border territories affected by earthquakes, or citizens trapped in a forest fire zone.
At the same time, according to Izvestia's interlocutor, the attackers have already begun to actively use fake websites of orphanages, hospices and shelters to steal funds under the guise of charity. They create exact copies of the official resources of charitable organizations, replacing only the details for transferring money. As a result, donations end up in scam accounts.
— A new trend in 2025 was the attack on people who had previously suffered from financial scams, — says Yakov Filevsky. — Scammers find them in thematic chats and offer assistance in recovering stolen funds, but they require a commission or fees under other pretexts.
In turn, Irina Dmitrieva, a cyber expert and analytical engineer at the Gazinformservice Cybersecurity Research Laboratory, predicts that attackers will begin to massively exploit AI technologies to create deepfake videos with seriously ill people. Emotional pressure from the naturalness of what you see will increase the desire to help a person and reduce vigilance.
Another method of exposure is the generation of medical documents using neural networks, whether it's MRI scans or doctors' reports. In addition, AI bots help automate the spread of fake fees and simulate words of support in comments, creating traffic from sympathizers and thus creating the required psycho-emotional environment, Irina Dmitrieva emphasizes.
What schemes have you encountered with charity before?
Meanwhile, cybersecurity experts have encountered charity-related fraud in previous years. In particular, according to Evgeny Egorov, soon after the terrorist attack in Crocus City Hall, suspicious groups began to appear on messengers and social networks under the guise of charitable foundations.
"They were raising money to help the victims," says the Izvestia source. — At the same time, warnings were officially issued about scammers conducting such calls and mailing lists.
In addition, according to the expert, three years ago it was possible to find ads aimed at Russian-speaking users, where scammers offered to transfer cryptocurrency to charity or refugee aid, as well as to support military personnel.
In turn, Irina Dmitrieva adds that a popular fraudulent fundraising campaign is the use of biographies of real patients without their knowledge. The attackers took patients' medical documents from social networks, but collected money on fake personal accounts.
— In the 2020s, scammers organized fake flash mobs on behalf of famous bloggers, initiating fundraising under the slogan "Help a child with a rare disease," says the expert. — During the pandemic, the COVID-19 theme was actively exploited: pseudo-charitable foundations raised funds for the purchase of artificial ventilation devices.
Especially blasphemous is the method of deception with fictitious fees for the needs of the army in its territory, notes Yakov Filevsky. Such messages are sent by unofficial accounts on social networks, and citizens in a hurry, without double-checking the recipients of funds and the authenticity of the source, send funds to intruders.
How to protect yourself from charity fraud schemes
Various fraudulent schemes undermine the credibility of charity events and generally lead to disillusionment with charity, Irina Dmitrieva emphasizes. As a result, people in need may find themselves without the required financial assistance, while scammers enrich themselves on the victims.
"The understanding that criminals are parasitizing on the stories of sick, injured and in need of help brings pain and devastation to all those involved in charity," the expert emphasizes. — In light of the existing problems, funds and NGOs are subject to stricter regulation, which requires them to make huge efforts to generate reports.
According to Irina Dmitrieva, fraudulent schemes related to charity are beyond ethics and exploit the most valuable thing in the human soul — compassion and the desire to help.
To protect yourself from such tricks, Evgeny Egorov advises you to be critical of all posts, ads, letters, as well as messages on social networks and messengers asking for help and transferring money to a good cause. You should trust only official resources: contacts of charitable foundations can be checked in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities (USRLE) on the website of the Federal Tax Service.
— Before making a payment to a charity, be sure to check the domain name of the resource through WHOIS services (the latest registration date is one of the signs of fraud), and verify the details with the data on the official website, - concludes Dmitrieva. — It is better to call once again, ask again and clarify than to send money to intruders.
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