Fake fundraisers trying to cash in on Ukraine crisis surge
The national fraud reporting centre has received hundreds of reports of fake Ukraine fundraising requests.
It has warned members of the public against fake emails pretending to raise money for victims of the war, and said how con artists use a variety of tactics to trick individuals.
Action Fraud tweeted this morning: “We’ve received 196 reports about FAKE emails purporting to raise money for those affected by the crisis in #Ukraine. Some of the emails even claim to be from Wladimir Klitschko”.
It encouraged members of the public to report this, and pointed to t-shirt sales as a key fraud example.
The National Cyber Security Centre has also warned people to be vigilant when donating to organisations.
The BBC also reported that there has been a spike in crypto-currency phishing emails asking people to donate Bitcoin or Ethereum to help fleeing refugees from Ukraine.
The reports come alongside a more general theme of scams becoming more rife since the pandemic.