A friend of mine, Susan, wanted to donate cryptocurrency to support disaster relief after a major earthquake. She came across a Twitter post from what appeared to be a reputable charity, complete with official-looking logos and heartfelt images appealing for immediate donations. The tweet included a Bitcoin address, requesting donations to help victims urgently.

Touched by the appeal, Susan quickly sent around $400 in Bitcoin to the provided address. She felt good about helping those in need until she noticed something suspicious: other charities were issuing warnings about fake donation appeals circulating online.

Worried, Susan revisited the Twitter account she donated to, only to find it suspended. She then checked the official website of the legitimate charity, which explicitly stated they never requested cryptocurrency donations and warned donors to beware of fake accounts posing as their organization.

Realizing she had fallen for a fake charity scam, Susan was heartbroken and angry. The scammers had used an emotional appeal to trick donors into sending funds directly to their wallets. Susan reported the scam, but the chances of recovering her donation were slim since cryptocurrency transactions are nearly impossible to reverse.

This unfortunate incident serves as a powerful reminder to always verify donation requests directly from official charity websites, double-check social media posts, and remain skeptical of cryptocurrency donation requests unless clearly validated by official sources.