What to do if you think a fundraiser is a scam

Start by slowing down. A gut feeling that something is off is worth respecting, and you do not owe anyone an immediate gift. Scammers count on speed. You are allowed to take a day, or a week, to decide.

Read the whole post, not just the photo. Look at the goal, the details, the updates, and the public comments. Anyone can ask a question in a post's public comments without donating, and owners are expected to answer. A vague or shifting answer tells you something. So does a clear one.

A person reviews each post before it goes live, and automatic scam checks run on every post. Many bad posts get caught early. That does not make you the reviewer. Your own slow read is the last check, and it is a good one. If the story does not hold together when you read it plainly, stop there and do not send money.

Write down what you know and what you are assuming. If most of what you have is a feeling, that is fine, but see if a few of the checks below back it up.

Three questions do most of the work. Was a photo or story copied from somewhere else? Were you asked to pay outside the site? Did the story change in ways that do not add up?

For the first, look closely at the photo. If the same picture shows up somewhere else attached to a different name, city, or set of details, treat that as serious. For the second, any request to pay by wire, gift card, crypto, or another app is a stop sign, no matter who asks. For the third, read the updates, not just the original post. A goal that jumps, a city that changes, or a family member who quietly disappears from the story are the changes that do not add up.

Badges help. Optional badges include Photo verified, Government ID, Address verified, Organization verified, and Background check on file. Only reviewers see the documents; the public sees a badge. A badge is one piece of evidence, not a promise about how money will be used. Missing badges are not proof of a scam either, since a new poster may simply not have them yet.

Once someone has donated, the owner cannot rewrite the story, and any changes are explained in updates. That protects you, but only if you read them. On posts involving a child, the post must come from a parent or legal guardian and use first names only. If you see a child's full name, school, or medical details posted by someone who seems unrelated, do not share it onward.

Decide the amount before you open the page, not after. Donations are gifts and are final, and HelpBLESS cannot promise how money is used or that a goal will be reached. Give only what you are comfortable not getting back. If that number is small, give small. That is not stingy, it is sustainable.

Give through the Donate button on a Money or Bills post and nowhere else. If you want more accountability than one post can give you, consider giving smaller amounts to several needs rather than a large amount to one. Spread out, no single disappointment is a disaster.

HelpBLESS can hold unusual gifts for review before payout. That covers patterns like many gifts arriving in minutes, the same network giving repeatedly, or a large first gift to a new fundraiser. So do not read speed as proof of anything in either direction. A quick payout is not a verdict, and a delay is not a confession.

Keep a simple record. Save the post, note the date and the amount, and keep the receipt. If you give to several people, one line each in a notebook or a note on your phone is enough. It helps you spot a repeat pattern later, and it helps if you ever need to explain the charge.

Never pay outside HelpBLESS, whether by wire, gift card, crypto, or another app, even if the owner or a stranger says it is faster. Report anyone who asks. Once money leaves the site, there is no record to check and no review to lean on, and gift cards and crypto are close to untraceable.

Watch for pressure. Urgency, a deadline measured in hours, a request to keep things quiet, a push to move to a private chat, or a message from someone who is not the poster are all tools of the trade. Pressure is the tool, not the emergency. A real need usually survives a day of questions.

You never need to hand over your own information to help someone. A copy of your ID, your card number sent in a message, or your home address is not part of giving. Read the Safety center guide on how to meet, give and accept help safely before you go further with anyone.

Check your own accounts. A strong password and a glance at your statement each week catch problems early. If your card was charged without your permission, that is a matter for your card issuer. Call the number on the back of your card.

Use the Report button on the post. Every post has one. Staff follow up and may remove posts, hold unpaid funds, or close accounts. You do not need proof to report. You need a reason, and a copied photo or a request to pay off-site is a good one.

Keep screenshots of messages. Capture the request, the sender's name, the time, and the amount asked. Screenshots survive when a post or an account is deleted, and they make a report concrete.

Do not make public accusations in the comments, and do not contact the person off the site to confront them. A public accusation can be wrong, and it can turn into a fight that helps no one. A confrontation off the site removes the one thing protecting you, which is the record. Report quietly and let staff look.

If you lost money, report fraud to the authorities. In the US, the FTC's ReportFraud takes reports of scams, including fake fundraisers. The FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center takes reports of online fraud. USA.gov's scams and fraud pages explain how to spot common scams and where to report them. Reporting does not create a right to a refund, and donations are final. Report anyway. Patterns are what get investigated.

You can help without sending money. Offers of time, skills, or goods are made on a post. The owner chooses which offers to accept, and contact details are shared only after an offer is accepted, with a safety checklist emailed to both of you. That keeps your phone number and address out of public view.

If you are offering to give rides, host someone, or give care in a home, a verified photo, ID, or background check badge is required first. That rule protects the person receiving help and protects you.

When you do meet, meet in a public place first. Tell someone where you are going and when you expect to be back. Block and report anyone who pressures you or asks you for money, even if the request sounds small or temporary.

If a post looks off to you, the useful things are simple: do not share it, ask a neutral question in the comments, and report it. That is real help, because the next donor reads the same comments you did. Declining to give is not an accusation, and it is always allowed.