Learn about scams

← All companiesJobs, housing & money admin#120 most impersonated

GoFundMe scams

Last updated September 18, 2026

The short answer

GoFundMe scams are fabricated campaigns and copies of real ones that redirect donations. GoFundMe's Giving Guarantee refunds donations to fraudulent campaigns made on GoFundMe itself — but not money sent by payment app to a person who linked you a campaign.

GoFundMe runs a genuine guarantee and removes fraudulent campaigns, so the platform is not the weak point. The weak points are around it: campaigns copied from real ones and promoted separately, campaigns for events with no connection to the organiser, and — most commonly — someone using a campaign as a pretext to get a payment app transfer, which the guarantee does not touch.

How GoFundMe scams work

  1. 1

    Fabricated campaigns

    A campaign for an illness, accident or disaster that did not happen, or that happened to someone the organiser has no connection to. Photographs are lifted from news coverage.

  2. 2

    Copies of real campaigns

    A genuine campaign is duplicated and promoted on social media, diverting donations from the real family.

  3. 3

    Payment app diversion

    Someone shares a real campaign link and then asks you to send by Cash App or Zelle "to avoid fees". The guarantee covers donations made on GoFundMe, not transfers to an individual.

  4. 4

    Disaster and news-event campaigns

    Campaigns appear within hours of a tragedy, created by people with no link to the victims, competing with genuine family-organised ones.

Warning signs

  • The organiser has no clear relationship to the beneficiary
  • You are asked to send by Cash App, Zelle or Venmo rather than donate on the platform
  • The campaign story does not match reporting of the event
  • Photographs appear elsewhere in a reverse image search
  • The campaign was created within hours of a news event by a stranger
  • Comments from people questioning the organiser have been hidden or are unanswered
  • The link is not gofundme.com

Examples

The copied campaign

A family's genuine medical campaign is duplicated, with the same photographs and text, and promoted through paid social ads that outspend the original. Donors give to the copy, believing it is the real one. GoFundMe removed it and refunded donors, but the family lost the momentum of their appeal.

"Cash App me instead"

A donor sees a real campaign shared by an acquaintance, who offers to pass money along by Cash App to avoid fees. The acquaintance has no connection to the family. Because the money never went through GoFundMe, the Giving Guarantee does not apply.

What to do

  • Donate on gofundme.com itself — the guarantee applies only there.
  • Never send money by payment app for a fundraiser, however it is framed.
  • Check the organiser's relationship to the beneficiary; genuine campaigns state it clearly.
  • Reverse image search the photographs.
  • Report suspicious campaigns to GoFundMe — they investigate and refund.

Report it to GoFundMe

Report a campaign through GoFundMe support. The GoFundMe Giving Guarantee refunds donations to fraudulent campaigns made on the platform.

Our step-by-step guide: GoFundMe

Getting your money back

Donations made on GoFundMe to a campaign found to be fraudulent are refunded under the Giving Guarantee — report the campaign and request a refund through support. Money sent by Cash App, Zelle or Venmo is outside that entirely and is rarely recoverable, which is the whole reason it was requested. Report fabricated campaigns to your state attorney general as well; charitable solicitation fraud is a state matter and prosecutions do follow.

Frequently asked questions

What does the GoFundMe Giving Guarantee cover?

Donations made on GoFundMe to a campaign later found to be fraudulent, refunded on request within the stated window. It does not cover money sent outside the platform by payment app or transfer, even if someone shared a real campaign link with you first.

How do I tell a genuine fundraiser from a fabricated one?

Look for a clearly stated relationship between the organiser and the beneficiary, updates from the family themselves, consistency with news reporting, and comments that have not been hidden. Reverse image search the photographs. Campaigns created within hours of a tragedy by strangers deserve particular scepticism.

Someone shared a campaign and asked me to Cash App them instead. Why?

Because it takes the money outside the guarantee and outside any record. Fees are the stated reason and are not the real one. If you want to support the campaign, donate on GoFundMe directly.

Other companies scammers impersonate

Scams reuse their scripts across brands. If you were contacted about GoFundMe, these are the guides worth reading next.

See all companies