In the wake of the Campanar fire, police monitor crowdfunding efforts and warn about online fundraising scams
The National Police are actively watching a broad spectrum of private crowdfunding campaigns and online pleas for donations aimed at families who lost their homes and belongings in the fire at the Campanar building in Valencia. The aim is to detect any potential cyber scams that might surface in connection with this tragedy.
The police confirm that they are reviewing various open accounts on microdonation portals. Some campaigns are spreading exclusively through social networks or mobile messaging, reaching not only people in Valencia but wider audiences. A portion of these campaigns appears to have been created without prior verification from accredited microdonation platforms, raising concerns that recipients could be targeted by scams exploiting the community’s sorrow and the media attention surrounding the disaster.
Experts on cybersecurity discussed this issue at the SICUR fair, held at the Ifema exhibition center in Madrid. One cybersecurity professional from an international firm warned of unusual campaigns circulating in a professional chat. Valencia’s National Police say they have not received informal complaints from individuals about fundraising drives, and the most prominent campaigns appear to be legitimate, though vigilance remains high.
“We have lost everything”
Charitable initiatives online have surged in recent days. On GoFundMe, a leading crowdfunding platform in Spain, 45 fundraising appeals were active on a given Tuesday. Most had not yet raised more than 50 euros, and many showed zero contributions. The main online fundraisers connected to individuals include campaigns titled “Help for families left with nothing,” “Rebuilding my parents’ life after the fire,” and “Support victims of the Campanar fire.” These three drives had raised 108,913 euros, 16,218 euros, and 14,934 euros respectively.
The first campaign, “Help for family that has lost everything,” has surpassed 108,668 euros toward a goal of one million and has received more than 4,000 donations. It is driven by Sergio Aliaga and Violeta Ferrer, who explain in the appeal that the effort is organized by the various neighborhood associations of Campanar. A parallel, smaller fundraising drive led by Ferrer reports 1,556 euros raised so far, with funds to be deposited into the building’s community association account.
Another widely publicized crowdfunding effort comes from Uzbek contributor Grigoriy Korobeynikov. The appeal, written in both Spanish and English, states: “We are Alex and Grigoriy. We are victims of the Campanar fire in Valencia. We would greatly appreciate any help you can offer. This was a tragedy for many families. We literally have nothing left. Thank you.” The campaign aims to raise 30,000 euros and has collected 2,755 euros across 47 donations so far.
Smaller campaigns
Most fundraising efforts are still small in scale, though they tend to cluster on the main platform. Migranodearena.org, another major Spanish platform, currently lists just one campaign connected to the Valencia fire, which is not fraudulent: promoted by the Mediolanum Foundation. This drive has gathered 190 donations totaling 8,571 euros, with 33 days remaining to reach a 20,000 euro target.
Platform administrators on GoFundMe regularly remind users to watch for phishing emails that imitate the site. They advise contacting the platform’s support team if there is any doubt about the legitimacy of a fundraising appeal.
Scams that ride the wave of popular solidarity often exploit the emotional impact of a crisis. A recent example occurred in Barbate, where the Guardia Civil in Navarra intervened to stop a false fundraising drive for families of fallen officers after activists circulated the campaign on social networks. The campaign claimed to be organized by the Guardia Civil and union organizations within the force. The Guardia Civil launched an alert clarifying that no public fundraising campaign was underway. Spokespeople emphasized that the force is not organizing any fundraising effort for this or any other purpose.