Scams have started exploiting the desire of many in the crypto community to support Ukraine’s efforts to withstand Russia’s military assault and help its citizens endure the conflict. As the country is raising millions in bitcoin, a report has indicated that fraudulent schemes luring donors to “help Ukraine” with cryptocurrency are on the rise.
Scams using cryptography to lure potential donors to support an invaded nation
Bleeping Computer warns that anyone who wishes to send cryptocurrency to Ukraine in support of their country’s military operations against Russia may be caught by scammers using phishing forums, emails and posts.
The tech news outlet has identified a number of new scams enticing crypto users to “help Ukraine” by donating bitcoin and other digital currencies to addresses different from those provided by the government in Kyiv and Ukrainian NGOs.
These scammers use a variety of methods. These range from phishing emails appearing to come from the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs or NPR domains, for example, to forum posts seemingly associated with the “Help Ukraine” movement.
The report reveals that other cybersecurity and ransomware researchers such as Malware Hunter Team and Jake Jcybersec_ have found more .org and .com domains established by scammers such as “Ukraine-donate,” “Ukraineglobalaid” and “Ukrainewar.support.”
The publication points out that these frauds can be made more convincing by using emotional appeals targeted audiences may not resist. You should also consider the fact that both the Ukrainian government and volunteer groups in Ukraine have actively sought donations for their defense efforts using various currencies.
Support the Ukrainian people. Accepting cryptocurrency donations Bitcoin, Ethereum, and USDT.
BTC – 357a3So9CbsNfBBgFYACGvxxS6tMaDoa1P
ETH and USDT (ERC-20) – 0x165CD37b4C644C2921454429E7F9358d18A45e14
— Ukraine / Україна (@Ukraine) February 26, 2022
The crypto community also supported humanitarian efforts in the face of the conflict. The world’s leading digital asset exchange, Binance, announced this week it’s donating $10 million to help the Ukrainian people. The assistance of third parties is coordinated through the recently launched crowdfunding initiative, “Humanity First – Ukraine Emergency Relief Fund.”
You can support Ukrainian families, children, refugees, and displaced people by donating BTC, ETH, and BNB to Binance Charity’s Ukraine Emergency Relief Fund.
Is there anything the crypto community could do to help Ukraine prevent scams? Please share your views on this topic in the comment section.
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