A video advertisement gaining traction on Instagram and YouTube has experts alarmed as it has reportedly conned numerous individuals out of substantial amounts of money. The emotionally charged one-minute clip features an eight-year-old boy named Semion, who, speaking in Russian, pleads for financial assistance to cover the cost of his lung cancer treatment. This video has been shared on a fundraising page, which has amassed nearly $250,000 in donations from over 8,600 people. However, cybersecurity firm Avast has identified the video as a scam that manipulates people’s generosity and their innate desire to help others. The video is also hosted on Drove.com, an advertising platform for donations that has a questionable trust score, according to Scam Advisor.
Avast uncovered the video, which showcases Semion’s heartbreaking appeal for funds, on May 17 and it has since garnered more than 2,300 views on YouTube. In the video, Semion expresses the dire financial situation his family is in regarding his cancer treatment. He emphasizes the urgency of receiving treatment within the next two weeks to have any hope of survival, pleading, “I appeal to your hearts.” He desperately implores viewers not to disregard his plea and emphasizes his young age, stating, “I didn’t plan to die at eight years old.” The video serves as a stark warning about the advancement of lung cancer and the potential suffocating effects it can have on his lungs. Semion humbly requests an opportunity to obtain life-saving treatment.
While the video is in Russian, it has been captioned in various languages such as English, French, Spanish, and Ukrainian, according to Avast. Despite significant contributions, totaling 246,920 euros ($270,000 or £212,000), the fundraising campaign falls short of its target of over 750,000 euros. Donors have been leaving sympathetic comments along with their contributions, with one person praying, “God, please bless this child,” and another urging others to have unwavering faith.
The individuals responsible for the video are unknown, but the organizers of the fundraising page claim to be associated with World Champions, an Israeli organization devoted to supporting children with cancer. However, Scam Advisor asserts that World Champions is a legitimate charity with a trustworthy score of 92 percent. Nevertheless, the Drove.com fundraising page raises concerns since it provides bank transfer details for an individual named Alufei Olam, purportedly affiliated with World Champions. Notably, the charity’s website does not appear to mention Olam. Additionally, the World Champions Instagram account features another video featuring Semion and his mother, further linking to the fundraising page.
MailOnline has reached out to Meta, the parent company of Instagram, as well as Google, the owner of YouTube, for their comments regarding the situation. Luis Corrons, a security researcher at Avast, characterizes the video as “heart-wrenching” and notes that it manipulates people’s instinctive inclination to help others. Corrons emphasizes the importance of verifying the authenticity of an organization before donating and suggests visiting the official websites of trusted organizations to make contributions rather than responding to donation requests via emails, videos, or social media ads.
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