Warning over fraudsters preying on desire to help with Ukraine crisis

Fraudsters are preying on people’s desire to help those affected by the Ukraine crisis, particularly through cryptocurrency scams, according to fraud prevention body Cifas.

People may be asked in phishing emails and forum posts to donate cryptoassets such as Bitcoin, Cifas said.

Addresses are given which the criminals falsely claim are connected to the Ukrainian government.

The scams mean funds donated by members of the public do not reach those they are supposed to help, and money lost could be used to fund further criminal activities, it warned.

Cifas said genuine details of charities registered with the Charity Commission can be found by searching the register at gov.uk/find-charity-information.

Cifas’s head of fraud intelligence, Amber Burridge, said: “I encourage anyone handing over their personal details, financial details or money to take a moment to stop and think before doing so.

“Consider if there are any additional checks that can be completed to ensure who you are dealing with is genuine.”