To report GoFundMe fraud, click the “Report fundraiser” button on the campaign page and submit a claim under GoFundMe’s Giving Guarantee, which refunds donations of any amount for one year after you give.1GoFundMe. GoFundMe Giving Guarantee For larger losses or clear criminal conduct, also file with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov, the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and your local police. You can dispute the charge with your bank or credit card issuer instead, but the deadlines are short and a successful chargeback disqualifies you from the Giving Guarantee.
Fraud Versus a Disappointing Campaign
Not every campaign that upsets donors is fraudulent. Fraud requires intentional deception: a fabricated story, a fake identity, or money raised for one stated purpose and deliberately spent on something else. A campaign that raised money for medical bills and funded a vacation is fraud. A campaign that fell short of its goal, or where the organizer’s priorities shifted in good faith, is not, even if you feel misled.
The distinction matters. A false fraud report wastes investigative resources and can expose you to liability. Before you file anything, ask whether you actually have evidence of deliberate deception rather than a bad outcome.
Gather Your Evidence First
Every channel you report to will ask for specifics, so collect the material before you start filing. Save the campaign URL and take full-page screenshots of the campaign, its updates, donor comments, and the organizer’s profile. Capture the date and time in each screenshot, either through your device’s timestamp or by including the browser address bar and clock.
Pull your donation records: amount, date, payment method, confirmation emails from GoFundMe, and the entry on your bank or card statement. Preserve any messages you exchanged with the organizer or other donors. Texts, emails, and social media exchanges sometimes contain admissions or contradictions that carry a fraud report.
Then look outward. Social media posts, news articles, or public records that contradict the organizer’s story are the strongest evidence you can bring. If the campaign claims a medical emergency and the supposed patient is posting vacation photos, that is the kind of discrepancy investigators want. Organize everything in order so any reviewer can follow what happened and when.
Report the Campaign to GoFundMe
GoFundMe’s own reporting tool is the fastest way to get a campaign investigated and, if warranted, shut down. Scroll to the bottom of the campaign page and click “Report fundraiser.”2GoFundMe Support. Reporting a Fundraiser Created in Your Name Describe why you believe the campaign is fraudulent, cite the specific claims the organizer made, and point to the evidence that contradicts them.
GoFundMe will not share your identity with the organizer unless compelled by law or a safety concern.3GoFundMe Support. Report a Fundraiser The Trust and Safety team reviews the report and may contact you for more detail. If they find a violation, they can suspend or terminate the campaign, freeze fund transfers, ban the organizer’s account, and refer the matter to law enforcement.4GoFundMe Transparency Center. Enforcement and Reporting Mechanisms During review, GoFundMe may pause outgoing transfers while still accepting new donations, so reporting early can keep the money from leaving the platform.
Claim a Refund Under the Giving Guarantee
Reporting the campaign is separate from getting your money back. Reporting flags the fundraiser; the Giving Guarantee refunds you. Donations of any amount are covered for one year from the date you donated.1GoFundMe. GoFundMe Giving Guarantee If GoFundMe determines that misuse occurred, refunds process within 3 to 10 business days.
Go to the Giving Guarantee page and click “Submit a claim.” You will need to explain why you believe your donation was misused. To qualify, you must still have the payment method you used for the original donation, and you cannot have contributed to or participated in the misuse.5GoFundMe. GoFundMe Giving Guarantee Policy
A few situations disqualify you:
- More than one year has passed since your donation.
- You already disputed the charge through your bank or card issuer.
- You donated to your own fundraiser.
- The donation went through a donor-advised fund, including PayPal Giving Fund.
- You have filed more than three claims in a single month.
GoFundMe makes the final call on whether misuse occurred, using its own discretion.5GoFundMe. GoFundMe Giving Guarantee Policy If your claim is denied, your remaining options are a bank dispute, a law enforcement report, and civil court.
Dispute the Charge With Your Bank or Card Issuer
A chargeback is another route, useful if the Giving Guarantee denies your claim or you want to pursue paths in parallel. The rules and deadlines depend on how you paid. One caveat first: a successful chargeback disqualifies you from the Giving Guarantee, so pick a lane unless you are prepared to lose that option.
Credit Card Disputes
Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, you have 60 days from the date your statement containing the charge was sent to dispute it in writing.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 USC 1666 – Correction of Billing Errors The letter has to identify your account, name the charge you believe is an error, and explain why. Send it to the billing dispute address your issuer designates, not the payment address. The issuer must acknowledge your letter within 30 days and resolve it within two billing cycles.7Federal Trade Commission. Using Credit Cards and Disputing Charges
Debit Card Disputes
Debit card protections under Regulation E are tighter. Your liability depends on how fast you report an unauthorized transaction:
- Within 2 business days of learning of the fraud: maximum liability of $50.
- After 2 business days but within 60 days of your statement: up to $500.
- After 60 days: you could be liable for the full amount of unauthorized transfers occurring after the 60-day window.
The 2-business-day clock starts when you learn of the fraud, not when the charge posts.8eCFR. Electronic Fund Transfers (Regulation E) If you paid by debit card, call your bank the day you realize what happened.
Report to Law Enforcement
When significant money is involved or the campaign looks like part of a broader scheme, law enforcement belongs in the mix. Platform reports and chargebacks recover money; police reports build the record that supports criminal charges.
Local Police
Start with your local department. Bring copies of everything you gathered: the campaign URL, screenshots, donation records, and communications with the organizer. Many departments accept online reports for non-emergency financial crimes; others require you to come in. If the organizer lives elsewhere, your department may refer the case to the agency with jurisdiction over the perpetrator.
FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center
The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at ic3.gov takes internet-based fraud complaints at the federal level. GoFundMe fraud can qualify as federal wire fraud, which covers using electronic communications to carry out a fraudulent scheme.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1343 – Fraud by Wire, Radio, or Television
The IC3 form asks for your contact information, the suspect’s details (name, email, website, IP address if you have it), transaction information including amounts and account numbers, and a narrative.10IC3. FAQ – Internet Crime Complaint Center IC3 does not accept attachments, so keep your evidence secured separately; if an investigating agency picks up the case, they will request materials directly.
IC3 processes complaints regardless of dollar amount, though federal prosecutors generally prioritize cases with higher aggregate losses or multiple victims across state lines.11Federal Bureau of Investigation. Internet Fraud Crime Problems Even a modest loss is worth filing. The FBI aggregates complaints, and yours may be the one that pushes a pattern over the threshold for a real investigation.
File With the FTC and Your State Attorney General
The FTC collects fraud reports at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. It does not resolve individual complaints, but it aggregates reports to spot patterns and build enforcement cases.12ReportFraud.ftc.gov. Report Fraud Choose the category that fits best; crowdfunding fraud usually lands under charitable solicitations or imposter scams. Include the campaign URL, the amount you lost, and a description of the deceptive conduct.
Your state attorney general handles consumer fraud at the state level, and most offices offer online complaint forms. State AGs can investigate deceptive practices within their state and bring civil enforcement actions, including injunctions and restitution orders. If the fraudster is in your state, the AG’s office often has more practical enforcement reach than a federal agency handling thousands of complaints.
Sue the Fraudster in Civil Court
If you can identify the person behind the campaign, you can sue directly. Small claims court handles disputes up to a state-set maximum, generally somewhere between $2,500 and $25,000. For most individual donations, small claims is realistic: filing fees are low, lawyers are not required, and the docket moves faster than standard civil litigation.
For losses above the small claims cap, you would file in regular civil court, which usually means hiring counsel. Fraud claims carry a statute of limitations of roughly two to six years depending on the state, generally running from when you discovered or should have discovered the fraud. That clock runs whether or not you have reported to GoFundMe or the police, so do not assume those steps pause your deadline to sue.
What the Fraudster Faces
Creating a fake campaign and collecting donations electronically is federal wire fraud, punishable by up to 20 years in prison and fines up to $250,000.9Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1343 – Fraud by Wire, Radio, or Television13Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 3571 – Sentence of Fine If the fraud involves a federally declared disaster or affects a financial institution, penalties rise to 30 years and up to $1,000,000.14Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1341 – Frauds and Swindles State charges under theft-by-deception or general fraud statutes scale with the total taken, and courts can order restitution for every dollar collected. Reporting is what starts any of that.