Bloggers: Scam Schemes & Scandals
In 2026, the blogging industry is not just about creativity, but also big money. And the more money there is, the more people are willing to get it dishonestly. How bloggers scam viewers out of money is a question that worries parents of teenagers, the donors themselves, and even law enforcement agencies. Schemes are becoming more sophisticated, and scandals are louder.
Let's break down the top 5 most popular scam schemes, real cases from the last two years, and how to avoid falling victim.
Scheme #1: "Charity" for themselves
The most cynical scheme. The blogger announces a fundraiser for a sick child's treatment, help for an animal shelter, or victims of a natural disaster. Viewers donate tens of thousands, and sometimes millions of rubles. The money goes to… a new iPhone, renting a mansion in Dubai, or covering the blogger's debts.
A high-profile case from 2025: A blogger with the nickname "LiZa" (600,000 Instagram followers) announced a fundraiser of 4 million rubles for an operation for a girl with cerebral palsy. She collected it in 3 days. The operation was never performed. Journalists found out that the clinic to which the blogger transferred the money was an LLC registered under her mother's name. The criminal case was closed due to "lack of corpus delicti" — the money was allegedly transferred as "voluntary donations without a specific purpose."
How to recognize: Never donate to charity directly to a blogger. Only through official funds with accountability (for example, "Podari Zhizn," "Nochlezhka," "Vera"). If a blogger says "I'll transfer it myself" – that's a red flag.
Scheme #2: Fake investments and crypto projects
The blogger talks about how they got rich on cryptocurrency and offers viewers a "unique opportunity" to get in on the ground floor of a new project. Viewers transfer money — from 5 thousand to several million. The project works for a month or two, shows "growth" (fabricated statistics), and then disappears. Along with the money.
A high-profile case from 2024: Streamer "Miner" (real name withheld) advertised the crypto game "RichBird." He promised a 300% return per month. Around 2,000 of his viewers invested in it, totaling 120 million rubles. After 6 weeks, the game stopped allowing withdrawals, and then closed entirely. "Miner" claimed he "lost 5 million himself" and knew nothing. It was later revealed that he received 3 million rubles from the organizers for advertising. A criminal case under Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (fraud) is still under investigation.
How to recognize: Any promise of "guaranteed income" above 20-30% per annum is almost always a scam. Especially if the blogger says "hurry, spots are running out."
Scheme #3: Donation challenges with a catch
The blogger announces a challenge: "Let's collect 1 million donations in an hour — and I'll do such and such" (shave my head, eat a worm, skydive). Viewers donate. The blogger collects the amount. And then… doesn't do what was promised. Or does it, but in a way that no one understands.
A high-profile case from 2025: Top streamer "Glebus" (700,000 online viewers at peak) announced: if they collected 10 million rubles during the stream, he would fly to Thailand and broadcast live from the jungle, spending the night there. They collected 12.4 million. Glebus… went to the nearest park in Moscow, put up a green screen with a jungle image, and streamed for 20 minutes. Subscribers demanded their money back. Glebus replied: "I was in the jungle — virtual. I didn't specify the conditions."
Legally – clean. Morally – rock bottom. But he didn't return the 12 million.
How to recognize: If the challenge does not have clear, measurable conditions ("stream from a real jungle with geolocation"), assume you've been scammed.
Scheme #4: Fake iPhone and money giveaways
The blogger announces a giveaway of an iPhone 16 Pro Max or 100 thousand rubles. The conditions: subscribe, like, repost, and transfer a symbolic amount (100–500 rubles) "to confirm participation." Thousands of viewers transfer money. The winner, of course, is an insider. The rest are left without money and without a phone.
A high-profile case from 2026 (fresh!): TikToker "Vladosik" (2.1 million subscribers) held 4 such giveaways in a month. He collected about 700 thousand rubles. There were no winners at all — the blogger simply deleted the posts and pretended nothing happened. Subscribers filed a report with the police. At the time of publication, the Investigative Committee had opened a case under Part 2, Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (fraud causing significant damage). Vladosik has been arrested and faces up to 5 years in prison.
How to recognize: Any giveaway requiring money to participate is illegal in Russia. It's an unlicensed lottery. Do not transfer a single ruble.
Scheme #5: "Infogypsies" and success courses
The blogger sells a course "How to earn a million in a month," "Become a blogger from scratch," or "Secrets of successful investments." The price ranges from 10 to 200 thousand rubles. Inside are general phrases that can be found on Google in 5 minutes. And sometimes — just a recording of a webinar where the blogger says "buy the next course, everything is detailed there."
A high-profile case from 2024–2025: Blogger "Alexander S." (2.5 million subscribers, channel name withheld by court decision) sold the course "Financial Freedom in 90 Days" for 49 thousand rubles. 3,500 people bought it — a total of 171 million rubles. Roskomnadzor experts studied the course: 80% of the materials were plagiarism from open sources, 20% were outright errors ("invest in crypto with 20x leverage" — a direct path to losing all money). The court ordered the blogger to return the money. He returned 40% and fled abroad.
How to recognize: If a blogger promises quick, easy money, ask yourself: "If the scheme is so effective, why is he selling a course instead of using it himself?" The answer is always the same — because the scheme doesn't work.
What about the law? Why are bloggers rarely punished?
The main problem is that scamming viewers for money falls into a gray area. Until 2024, such cases were almost never initiated. Since 2025, the situation has begun to change: the Prosecutor General's Office and Roskomnadzor have received powers to block channels for "illegal fundraising" without a court order. In 2025, 47 bloggers were blocked. But only a few face criminal charges — intent needs to be proven, and bloggers always say: "I didn't know," "My partners deceived me," "Voluntary donations."
Lawyers advise: if you transferred money to a blogger and they did not fulfill their promise — file a report with the police under Article 159 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (fraud) or Article 14.8 of the Administrative Offenses Code of the Russian Federation (consumer deception). The more complaints, the higher the chance that the case will go to court.
How to avoid falling victim: a viewer's checklist
Never transfer money directly to a blogger — only through platforms with guarantees (YouTube-donations, Twitch-subscriptions, DonationAlerts).
Don't believe in "guaranteed income" — it doesn't exist.
Verify charities — only official funds with a website and reports.
Paid giveaways are illegal. Participate only in free ones.
Before buying a course, look for reviews on independent forums (not in the blogger's comments).
Save screenshots and receipts — without them, the police won't accept your report.
Conclusion
How do bloggers scam viewers out of money? Through false charity, fake investments, donation challenges, bogus giveaways, and empty courses. From 2024–2026, the total damage from such schemes amounted to, according to estimates by the "Public Consumer Initiative," over 2 billion rubles. And that's only what made it into the statistics.
The law is getting stricter, bloggers are being arrested (like Vladosik in 2026), but new schemes appear faster. Therefore, your main defense is your vigilance. Don't fall for emotions, don't transfer money to strangers, and remember: if a proposition sounds too good to be true — it's almost always a scam.
Our Services for Streamers
Our Services for Content Creators
