Aid to Ukraine: scams abound on the Internet
The war in Ukraine has been raging for almost a month after the attack on its territory by the Russian army. Faced with the appalling damage from the attacks by Vladimir Putin’s men, trade sanctions have been decided by the major world powers. All over the globe, we have also seen to arise great outpourings of solidarity to welcome Ukrainian refugees, particularly in Europe. Others have set up collections of money, clothing or other items to help people in need. Alas, Man being Man, there is also many scams that have invited themselves into the equation with a kindness of facade.
Far-fetched charity
We know it, and even more in the digital world with the malware that abounds, malicious people are absolutely everywhere and always on the lookout for a new window to rush into our wallets. As sad as the conflict in Ukraine is, some saw it as a perfect situation to set up scams. Proof example with the page Peace Here which, until a few days ago, was running this ad:
Only, the website that welcomes you if you click on the link smacks of fraud. Moreover, the Facebook page of this pseudo-association has been open on March 5, one day before the start of the campaign broadcast, and has only 5 subscribers. Another small example with ” Save_Ukraine which sends you directly without bothering with any form of explanation to this not really comforting payment page.
The problem is that advertisements containing the word “Ukraine” like this, there are 3500 posted on Facebook right now in France alone ! How many campaigns were launched in 2021 with this keyword? 110! Even if some are more directed towards those who would like to meet a Ukrainian woman, almost all of them still take as their subject the appeal for donations to support the victims. Some sites even make you believe that they have already received thousands of donations to give you confidence, even if this is not the case. Others say they are Ukrainian traders who, their shop destroyed, now sell their products to you on the internet. There too, a nice smoke. As for ” We Stand with Ukraine “who asks for donations in bitcoin and who was called a few days ago” The Great Illuminati family we have some not very positive words that come to mind to describe their action.
So what to get lost in and be fooled. So how do you choose the right work to support? Beginning of response.
Transparency time
Our colleagues from Fortune indeed spoke with Paige Hanson, Head of Cybersecurity Education at NortonLifeLock. The expert has some advice to offer starting with initiating research on the charity you want to support and especially if it has no harmful history.
Make sure the charity you have in mind has no charges or complaints against it — this can be done by going to a search engine and typing in the name of the organization with search terms like as “scam”, “scam” or “fraud”. If you find results suggesting the charity might be a scam, avoid it.
She also advises you to find out about the legitimacy of the work put in place.
Make sure that these charities also work directly in or around Ukraine, or work with reputable organizations on the ground. If you want to donate to a lesser-known Ukrainian charity, go directly to the organization’s website. Be careful when clicking.
Even if scams exist (as everywhere), this should not however prevent you from making a donation if you feel carried by a spirit of solidarity towards the Ukrainian people. We advise you the Humble Bundle “Stand with Ukraine” coming from a site with long proven legitimacy. With a donation of at least €36.39, you’ll also get your hands on 125 items, including PC games, books and more. All for a good cause.
