Most fundraisers are started with good intentions, but we want to help you recognise and report common online schemes so that you can protect yourself.
How can I avoid fraud schemes?
- Only sign in to GoFundMe accounts via GoFundMe’s official website. Customers should always look for the green lock showing that the site is securely encrypted
- Bear in mind that GoFundMe will never contact our customers through the fundraiser contact form to request contact, identification or other personal information
- GoFundMe will never ask you to pay in order to be included in GoFundMe's relief initiatives. For more information regarding possible grant qualifications, please follow this link.
- Take extra precaution when opening suspicious emails or links, especially urgent requests or promises of additional donations
- Don't use the links in an email, instant message or chat to get to any web page if you suspect the message might be fake or the sender untrustworthy
- If you are adding a beneficiary, it is important to confirm your beneficiary’s email address with them personally
- If you do not know your beneficiary personally, please contact our team
For additional tips on how to keep your account secure or if you believe your account has been compromised, please see our Help Centre article "Account security".
What if I find something suspicious?
If you have received any suspicious correspondence regarding your GoFundMe fundraiser, please do not respond; instead, forward it to abuse@gofundme.com.
What should I do if I clicked a suspicious link or provided personal information?
- Change your account password to one that is strong and unique. You should only use this password on GoFundMe
- Reset any other accounts (social media, work, bank) that share the same password and email combinations
- Contact our team immediately to notify us. Please share any suspicious correspondence that you’ve received
Any other concerns?
If you ever suspect that someone is impersonating GoFundMe or a GoFundMe employee, please contact us by clicking "Get help" to verify the authenticity of the message.
Types of online fraud schemes
Offers for GoFundMe positions:
If you see a GoFundMe opening advertised on social media, you can always verify the job opportunity by visiting Careers at GoFundMe. While real employees are encouraged to post about job openings on social media, be careful of posts that require you to directly message the individual and do not include the link to our Careers page, because these are often not affiliated with legitimate job offers from GoFundMe.
Offers related to your GoFundMe fundraiser:
If someone you don’t know is offering something that sounds too good to be true, proceed with caution. Some examples include offers to:
- Run your fundraiser (especially for payment)
- Withdraw a fundraiser's donations on your behalf
- Guarantee reaching your fundraising target in exchange for a service fee
- Offer a large donation to your fundraiser if you pay a transfer fee
- Offering to share your fundraiser with a large social following for a service fee
If you receive suspicious messages or offers, please email abuse@gofundme.com for further review or verification.
Phishing
Phishing is an attempt to get personal information (such as a username, password or financial details) by pretending to be a website or person.
Phishing behaviour on GoFundMe includes contacting organisers through their fundraisers and posing as a legitimate beneficiary, donor, organisation or even a GoFundMe employee.
We encourage customers to be cautious when reading or responding to emails through GoFundMe’s contact system. If you receive a suspicious email, please forward it to abuse@gofundme.com
Sweetheart/romance scams and catfishing:
A sweetheart or romance scam involves building trust by pretending to be romantically interested in someone and then using that trust to commit fraud. Some fraudulent activity can include stealing a victim's money, bank and credit card details, or even their identity.
Often used with romance scams, catfishing is when an individual uses a fake identity in order to trick a victim.
When talking online to someone you don’t personally know, do your best to verify their identity and never send money to someone unless you have 100% confidence in their identity or story.