Donation Cybersecurity: How to Protect Donor Data from Hackers

Relevance of topics and numbers

The convenience of donating online also comes with risks. According to various estimates, the number of attacks against nonprofit organizations ranges from 50 to 100 per week. Scammers create phishing websites to disguise themselves as well-known funds. 2024, experts Found More than 20 such portals contain photos of real people and false information.

The Blago.ru website suffered a major DDoS attack in 2022, with millions of requests coming from all over the world. In 2017, a large number of donations first appeared, and then requests were made for the funds to be returned but transferred to other accounts. The attackers attempted to transfer money through the platform’s website. Blago.ru always returns donations at the request of the donor, but only to the account and card from which the donation was made.

What threats do online donors face?

When users make online donations, they provide sensitive bank card information and email addresses. Many threats have emerged:

• Phishing attack – scammers create a copy of a website to obtain card information;
• Spoof users to obtain login names and passwords.

Sometimes scammers try to deceive us, and sometimes we are put at risk.

This can be an emotionally charged situation. For example, a young man carrying a box walked around a train car calling for donations to help treat a child. Here, the desire to quickly escape uncomfortable and awkward feelings is triggered. Money was thrown into the box without checking the organization’s constituent documents. In accordance with Federal Law No. 135-FZ of August 11, 1995 (as amended on April 8, 2026) “On charitable activities and voluntary services (Volunteerism)”, portable boxes can only be used during fund activities. Each box must have an inventory number indicating: the purpose of collection; the name of the charitable program to which donations are collected; information about the charity: name, address, tax identification number, account number, website address, contact information.

Or you can transfer money to a nonprofit employee’s personal bank card. In this case, it is impossible to track where donations are going and see transparent reporting of how funds are spent.

So before you click the “Pay” button, make sure you are donating to a reliable organization on a secure website and that the donation will reach the final recipient.

Image source: ANO “Training and Canine Science Center” “Assistance Dog”Blago.ru platform member, Kirill Sindeev

How Blago.ru protects donor data

Online donation platforms and services themselves already play a role in security. Their list only contains verified non-profit organizations that provide regular financial reports on the expenditure of funds raised on the platform.

For example, on Blago.ru, every new organization goes through a three-stage verification system. Once verified, revalidation is conducted periodically, which includes legal audits and evaluations of the fund’s performance. Organizations upload quarterly financial and content reports to the website. The platform also uses a multi-layered cybersecurity system that complies with international standards:

• All transactions and transmissions of user data are protected by SSL/TLS with 256-bit encryption. This makes intercepted messages useless to attackers.
• Payment data and card details are never transmitted to or stored on Blago.ru servers. The transmission of payment information is carried out by the provider and is protected by data transmission security protocols and complies with the security requirements of the payment system.
• Blago.ru’s technical team conducts regular code reviews to identify vulnerabilities before hackers discover them.
• Regular backups ensure that even if an attack occurs, the platform can quickly resume operations without losing information.

What donors can do to protect their data

• Check the reliability and transparency of nonprofit organizations. It’s best to donate through trusted platforms and services. For example, through Sberbank, Sovcombank, Ozon, Wildberry, Yandex or Blago.ru, Tooba, Planeta.ru, help applications.
• If you would like to donate directly to the organization, please check the website address and content. The website should include reports filed with the Department of Justice, aid stories, and actual numbers on cleared expenses. Before entering your data, please make sure you are using official sources: Stay Safe and that links to this site come from the organization’s social networks, media and the Ministry of Justice website. Red flags: Emotional stress, lack of contact, duplicate websites.
• Google Reputation. If there is a review about an online donation platform or nonprofit (individual, other organization, sponsor, partner), then it is probably genuine. The likelihood would be higher if they reported it in local or federal media.
• Monitor notifications. If the platform sends you a text message or email about a transaction you did not make, please notify support immediately or write to the email stated on the receipt. If you make a donation, please make sure you receive a receipt from the payment system.
• Update software. Use the latest versions of your browser and antivirus program – they cover known vulnerabilities.

Cybersecurity is a collaboration between platforms and users. The main thing that Blago.ru cares about is confidence: that every donation will reach its destination, will be protected, and will bring real benefit. The user’s own attention is the final obstacle in the attacker’s path.

The reliability of Blago.ru is also a complex IT infrastructure that ensures payment security, accuracy of regular deductions and user comfort.

Now Blago.ru is raising funds Update platform. This is an investment in the future for all service partners and the thousands of people who receive help through the platform.