To report a fake GoFundMe, use the platform’s fraud form at gofundme.com/contact/suggest/fraud, and if you donated, submit the donor contact form to request a refund under GoFundMe’s Giving Guarantee. If you lost money or think a crime occurred, file separate reports with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at complaint.ic3.gov and the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Two deadlines control whether you get your money back: one year from the donation date for GoFundMe’s Giving Guarantee, and 60 days from the billing statement for a credit card dispute.
Gather Evidence Before You File
A report backed by specifics gets handled faster than a vague suspicion, and campaign pages can be edited or deleted once the organizer senses trouble. Spend a few minutes collecting the following before you open any report form:
- The full campaign URL. This is the single most important piece of information for any investigator.
- Screenshots of the campaign description, photos, organizer name, donation total, and any updates.
- Any messages or emails from the organizer, especially anything asking you to send money outside GoFundMe through Venmo, Zelle, wire transfer, or gift cards.
- A brief timeline: when you first saw the campaign, when you donated, when you noticed something wrong.
- Your credit card or bank statement showing the donation, if you gave.
Reporting the Campaign to GoFundMe
GoFundMe offers different reporting paths depending on your relationship to the campaign, and picking the right one saves a step.1GoFundMe. Report a Fundraiser
- If you donated and want a refund, use the donor contact form at gofundme.com/contact/suggest/donor. This combines the refund request and the fraud report.
- If you didn’t donate but suspect fraud, use the general fraud form at gofundme.com/contact/suggest/fraud.
- If someone created a campaign using your name or identity, use the “Report fundraiser” button at the bottom of the campaign page itself.
Include everything you documented: the URL, what looks fraudulent, screenshots, and any communications. GoFundMe’s Trust and Safety team won’t share your name with the organizer unless compelled by law, which matters if the person running the campaign is someone you know.1GoFundMe. Report a Fundraiser
One boundary worth knowing: GoFundMe removes campaigns that violate its Terms of Service or involve proven misuse of funds. Personal disputes that don’t rise to that level generally won’t result in a takedown.1GoFundMe. Report a Fundraiser
Reporting to Law Enforcement
GoFundMe can pull a campaign down and refund donors, but it can’t arrest anyone or claw back money already withdrawn. If a real crime occurred, file with more than one agency. They share information, and multiple reports about the same scheme strengthen a case.
FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center
The FBI’s IC3 at complaint.ic3.gov handles internet-based fraud, including wire fraud and schemes that use online platforms to steal money.2Internet Crime Complaint Center. IC3 Complaint Form A fake crowdfunding campaign that collects donations electronically fits squarely within IC3’s scope. The complaint takes about 20 minutes and asks for details about how the fraud occurred, the amount involved, and any identifying information about the suspect.
Federal Trade Commission
The FTC collects fraud reports at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The FTC does not resolve individual complaints, but every report enters the Consumer Sentinel database, which law enforcement agencies worldwide use to detect patterns and build cases.3Federal Trade Commission. ReportFraud.ftc.gov A small individual loss can still be the report that reveals a scammer running dozens of fake campaigns.
Your State Attorney General
Your state’s consumer protection office, usually inside the Attorney General’s office, investigates fraud affecting state residents and can pursue civil or criminal action.4USAGov. State Consumer Protection Offices Contact information is available at usa.gov/state-consumer.
Local Police
If you know the organizer is in your area or the amount involved is substantial, file with your local police department. Crowdfunding fraud can be charged as theft or federal wire fraud, and local police can coordinate with federal agencies when the case crosses jurisdictions.
Getting Your Donation Back
GoFundMe’s Giving Guarantee
GoFundMe’s Giving Guarantee covers donations of any amount for one year from the date you donated. If the platform determines funds were misused, you may receive a full refund of what you gave; there is no stated maximum. The hard limit is timing: any claim submitted more than one year after the donation is excluded.5GoFundMe. GoFundMe Giving Guarantee Policy
Submit the request through the donor contact form. GoFundMe investigates and decides at its own discretion, so give the reviewer as much documentation as you can.
Credit Card Chargeback
If GoFundMe declines your refund, or you want to pursue both paths at once, dispute the charge with your credit card issuer. Federal law gives you 60 days after the billing statement containing the charge is sent to submit a written dispute.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 15 Section 1666 – Correction of Billing Errors The notice needs your name, account number, the amount in question, and the reason you believe the charge is an error. Card networks sometimes allow longer windows under their own rules, but the federal 60-day deadline is the one to protect. Don’t let it lapse while waiting on GoFundMe’s decision.
What Happens After You Report
GoFundMe’s review is internal, and its privacy policies mean you generally won’t get detailed updates. What you’re most likely to see is the campaign disappearing or a refund landing in your account. Sometimes the campaign stays up because the investigation found no violation, and the platform won’t always explain that outcome to the person who reported it.
Government investigations move slower but carry weight. A fake crowdfunding campaign that uses the internet to collect money under false pretenses can be prosecuted as federal wire fraud.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. United States Code Title 18 Section 1343 – Fraud by Wire, Radio, or Television Most individual cases won’t produce a federal prosecution on their own, but the reports accumulate. When investigators see the same organizer or the same pattern across the FTC’s Consumer Sentinel database or IC3 records, that’s when a case gains momentum.
Is the Campaign Actually a Scam
Not every campaign that feels off is fraudulent. Certain patterns show up in scams far more often than in legitimate fundraisers, and the biggest is vagueness: an emotional story with no named people, hospitals, or events. Legitimate organizers usually provide concrete details because they want donors to trust them. Scammers keep things generic because generic stories are harder to disprove.
Other warning signs worth checking before you file:
- The organizer can’t explain how they know the beneficiary, or the beneficiary never appears in updates or comments.
- The organizer asks you to send money off-platform through Venmo, Zelle, wire, or gift cards. Treat this as a near-certain sign of fraud.
- Photos on the campaign appear elsewhere online. Right-click the image, choose “Search image with Google,” and see whether the same photo shows up on unrelated sites.
- Significant money has come in but there are no updates on how it’s being used.
- The campaign closely mimics a real one tied to a recent disaster or tragedy. Check whether it links to official news coverage or verified accounts of the people involved.
If any of those match what you’re seeing, the fraud report form is the right next step, and the documentation you gathered earlier will do most of the work for you.