The UK's national fraud reporting centre has issued a warning to those wanting to help victims of the Ukraine war.
Action Fraud has sent out an alert as cyber criminals are targeting generous people. They have received 196 reports of bogus emails claiming to be fundraising for victims of the crisis.
They state that the conmen use a variety of tactics including soliciting Bitcoin donations and sales of t-shirts to lure people in to parting with their money. Links in the emails that they send lead to malicious websites that are designed to steal your money and personal information.
READ MORE: Warning issued over WhatsApp scam where people lose thousands
Taking to Twitter, Action Fraud wrote: "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."
Wladimir Klitschko is the brother of Vitali - the mayor of Ukraine's capital, Kyiv. The organisation included a raised eyebrow emoji after the text.
They added: "When donating, check the charity's name and registration number on the government's website. Most charities with an annual income of £5,000 or more must be registered."
How to detect a scam
Action Fraud has shared advice about how to detect the scams:
- Never click on the links or attachments in suspicious emails or respond to unsolicited messages asking for personal or financial details - even if they are in the name of a charity
- To donate online, type in the address of the charity website rather than clicking on a link
- Be cautious when donating to an online fundraising page - fake ones are often badly written or contain spelling mistakes
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