#obviously not every fundraiser can reach that level of certainty for everyone but i think skepticism is absolutely a useful thing overall

[kaiasky]

Ok so for my part I think that the UNRWA is a really good organization. But this post is aimed to be applicable if you think GoFundMe's are currently the best/only way to help the people living in Gaza:

It seems like frequently one big response to concerns like "some of these seem like scams" is outright hostility, appeals to authority (we have scam lists and verified lists, it's safe), and looking for ways to explain away tells of a potential scam.

like i understand that of course this is very emotionally charged. And some posts aren't especially diplomatic--'most gfms have the potential to be scams, donate to aid orgs instead' is very close to sounding like 'you're an idiot who fell for a scam, and also FUCK your family/friend trying to escape gaza'. and certainly there is a balance between carelessness and being so careful nothing happens.

With that said, it seems like the response to someone saying "a lot of these gofundmes seem suspicious and are likely stealing money that is intended to go to Palestinians", should be:

"thats really really fucked up if true. let's work together to audit this shit and figure out how big the scam problem is and take steps to mitigate it. e.g. by being very clear about what we mean by 'i can vouch for ___' (and the different scales of that from 'this is my fucking aunt' to 'the photos check out') and foregrounding who various intermediaries are, what their role is, and how they will be held accountable"

Which like--everybody accepts that there are some gaza scams, since scam lists get shared around with "verified" lists. We also know that scammers change and adapt their scams over time. if someone is offering evidence that some verified lists contain scammers, and you value gofundmes/verification lists and want them to continue being useful, that's something to take very seriously!

if a fundraiser you know to be real is setting off scam flags for someone, you don't need to get mad! Part of making this sort of grassroots circle of trust thing work is, ironically, a certain level of skepticism and distrust. If you know something is real, great! Provide info to explain exactly how and why you trust its veracity! If you're in contact with the creator or beneficiary, have them provide additional information. And if you find out something you previously thought was legit is a scam, learn from that and spot other scammers trying the same tactic.