The recent 7.8-magnitude earthquake which struck Turkey and Syria has caused widespread destruction and loss of life. In response and in lieu of traditional banks that would have been harmed in the destruction, the cryptocurrency community has rallied to provide aid to those affected by the disaster.
Also, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has released a directive that permits transactions related to earthquake relief efforts in Syria. This directive is valid until August 8, 2023 and covers all transactions that would otherwise be banned by the Syrian Sanctions Regulations.
“I want to make very clear that US sanctions in Syria will not stand in the way of life-saving efforts for the Syrian people,” said the Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo in a press release.
This indicates that organizations and donors do not have to expend time and costs demonstrating an exemption from penalties in order to give help to Syrian civilians.
However, in times of crisis, it is important to ensure that donations reach the intended recipients and avoid falling prey to scams or fraudulent attempts to steal funds.
To aid in this effort, we created a list of legitimate charity organizations and their corresponding cryptocurrency wallet addresses to provide a convenient and transparent way for individuals and organizations to donate to disaster relief efforts.
Legitimate Charity Organizations and Their Crypto Wallet Addresses
This sheet provides a convenient and transparent way for individuals and organizations to donate to disaster relief efforts, knowing that their funds will reach the right place.
By using this sheet, donors can avoid the risk of falling prey to scams or fraudulent attempts to steal their funds. We have thoroughly vetted the organizations listed and validated their efforts to provide aid to those affected by the earthquake.
Scammers Exploiting Humanitarian Moves
In the midst of the rising humanitarian moves, bad actors are moving quickly to find unwitting contributors to attack. They are taking advantage of the increasing humanitarian situation, stealing money by manipulating reputable websites.
Those bad actors find different ways to boost their reach and lure donors into their trap. Some of the identified techniques that the scammers used were:
- Using legitimate fundraising services to ask for donations such as PayPal’s fundraising and GoFundMe.com pages
- Flooding legitimate twitter posts with fake donation addresses
- Creating phishing domains such as helpturkey.info & pay.depremdonation.com
It’s important to note that the scammers follow various techniques to manipulate victims into trusting them with their donations.
How To Avoid Scams
The situation in Turkey & Syria necessitates that your contributions reach those who truly need them. While it’s instinctive to select one of well established charitable organizations to place your donations.
Here are some tips to help you avoid misplacing your donations:
- Exercise discretion while making a donation.
- Stay cautious of organizations with only social media presence
- Do a quick online search using the donation bank account or crypto wallet address. Legitimate charities should be well-renowned.
By following these tips, you can help ensure that your donations reach the intended recipients and avoid falling prey to scams.
Difficult times bring people closer together. Unfortunately, some bad actors are willing to prey on that.
Continue to watch this blog for more information on legitimate charitable organizations.
Written By: Omar Marzouk
Writer, Content marketing at Blockchain Group
