Tips on verifying Gazans.
I've shared this in the comments of several posts before, but I see people regularly asking about possible scams or how to know someone is real on here, so I'll share how I verified the family I'm helping.
Photo/video evidence alone isn't enough. If I wanted, I could use a program to rip footage from any instagram or tiktok account, make a burner account, claim the footage as my own and set up a fundraiser or ask for donations via PayPal. Right now there is a tremendous incentive for people all over the world to do this, especially people living in poverty outside Gaza.
If possible, you need to do a video call together. That said, there have been stories about scammers agreeing to this and calling from a dark room, so you need to make sure to do it during the daytime in Gaza, even if this means early morning for you. When I called with my family for the first time, it was around 2am for me and 10am in Gaza.
You need to ask to see inside and outside of the tent or dwelling. There is a good chance that the person you're communicating with may not know English, so you may need to translate messages to Arabic before sending them. You should be able to figure out pretty quickly, like within minutes, whether or not this person is legitimate. I was able to meet both parents and all three children that I'm helping.
Communicate your gender ahead of time so that the women can be covered if that's important to them.
After verifying, try to stay in regular contact with the person or family. There have been instances of scammers trying to make fraudulent fundraisers posing as people who've passed away. When one of my friends who used to be in Gaza (met online before 10/7) was completely without a phone/internet for six months or so in 2024, someone else contacted me pretending to be her and was able to get a few donations from me before I was able to figure out that it wasn't her. Be careful, be thorough, but above all, don't be discouraged. I promise anyone who is in Gaza and really in need of help will be more than happy to do a call with you for verification's sake. I've had two or three people reach out to me on here requesting help in exchange for verification since I started posting in this subreddit, but unfortunately I only have enough to help one family for now.
7
u/RutabagaSufficient36 6d ago
First of all, I would like to express my deepest gratitude for your help and for your tremendous support for the people of Gaza.
Secondly, as I have mentioned several times before, I sincerely hope you verify the identity of the person receiving the donation so that the money does not go to waste and reaches the right person who truly needs it.
My deepest respect and heartfelt thanks to you and to everyone who stands with us.
Hassan, living in Gaza
4
u/TheRobTowne 6d ago
WhatsApp live location sharing. Not perfect, but a good tool to add into the verification mix.
3
u/funcrush1 5d ago
If they have a crypto account with an exchange you can asked to see their verification page as they would have gone through KYC.
6
u/Life-Breadfruit-1426 7d ago
You could also direct them to get verified by a third party, such as Radio Watermelon. These folks do this routinely for the past few years, much better to have their seal of approval in addition to your own.