How to protect children’s charity fees from scammers – discussed in the podcast “Real life”

Every day, thousands of Belarusians transfer money for the treatment of children, but with the growth of aid, the number of those who want to cash in on it grows. The Presidential Decree No. 304 “On Funds and Charitable Activities in the Sphere of Healthcare” has come into force. In the new issue of the podcast “Real life” the head of “Alfa Radio” Vadim Shepet and the Chairman of the Belarusian Union of women Olga Shpilevskaya figured out how this document works in practice: who now has the right to open charity accounts, how the movement of funds is controlled and what to do to ordinary people so that their help is guaranteed to reach the child.

- This is parental love week. But, unfortunately, there are situations when a tragedy happens in the life of parents - a child becomes seriously ill. Such stories always elicit a powerful emotional response from people. When we see a call for help on the Internet, our heart shrinks and each of us is ready to respond, to transfer the possible amount to help. Why is it necessary to regulate this process by law? Where was the point where everything went wrong?

Olga Shpilevskaya confirmed that fraudsters on the Internet have learned to masterfully use our kindness, which is why people often give money to waste:

- There are many such examples, and they are regularly reported by the media. I also visited the Belarusian Women’s Union mothers who faced this personally. It seems that a good deed is being done, money is being collected for treatment, but they do not reach the recipient. There are a lot of scammers on the internet. We are easily deceived when it comes to sick children: any parent’s heart shrinks at the sight of a photo of a mother with a seriously ill baby. But the situation has reached a critical point: people are ready to help, but they are not sure that the funds will go as intended. Because of this, confidence in those who honestly conduct fees is also falling. It became clear that the sphere should be regulated by law. No law or regulation is intended to harm you. The task is just the opposite – to restore order, to make the system absolutely transparent and understandable for each person. Every ruble is for saving a life: how the open account of the BCJ works Olga Shpilevskaya told how the charity account of the Belarusian Union of Women works and how it differs from ordinary funds:

- I myself faced the specifics of such fees during the care of children with spinal musculoskeletal atrophy (SMA). The Belarusian Union of Women has its own charity account, and everything is open and honest. We're not a foundation. After all, any such organization - with all due respect to those who do the right things - is forced to spend donations on renting premises and salaries of employees. By the way, the new decree severely limited these internal spending funds, which is absolutely correct. Our account is different: we don't have offices or staff, it's just a transparent tool. We're helping in groups. For example, where I work, employees have written statements and each has determined a comfortable amount, which is transferred monthly from salaries. And then the algorithm is clear: The Ministry of Health sends an official request, we see that the child really needs treatment, and up to a penny transfer the collected money to the RSPC “Mother and Child” to help this child. Each amount goes strictly as intended, and the entire process is fully controlled.

Olga Shpilevskaya gave an example of a recent collection for a boy from Grodno, who was all gathered together for SMA treatment:

- At some point, the joint forces managed to collect 220,000 Belarusian rubles. We listed them to help the child. For each person it is an imperceptible amount, and in the end it turns out a big and good thing. But before that there was another story: the mother of a girl with SMA came to us in despair. As time passed, the child’s weight and age barely met the criteria for an injection, and the money was not fully collected. At this critical moment, one of the charity accounts through which the foundation helped raise funds simply disappeared. Imagine the state of the mother: what the country was collecting bits and pieces disappeared in an instant. Of course, the situation was not left unnoticed, all possible sponsors were involved, the necessary amount was found and an injection was made in time. I follow this girl on social media, we see her undergoing rehabilitation. Thank God she's doing well. But there are many such stories. Unfortunately, in parallel with those who want to sincerely help, there are those who are trying to make money on someone else’s trouble. And they do it. Vadim Shepet recalled that the new decree closes loopholes for those who turned charity into a personal business:

- Let me remind you that the new decree introduces clear rules: you can only raise funds to an official charity account. One per person. It has the right to open it himself or his close relatives. Bloggers can talk about the problem, attract attention, transfer their money, but not accumulate other people’s finances on personal cards. At the same time, the usual SMS fees for people are preserved. And this is the right decision, because shadow schemes undermine trust in society. Recall at least the high-profile criminal case of bloggers from Grodno: at the end of 2025, law enforcement authorities detained two local residents. They ran a popular blog and announced a fee for an expensive drug for a nine-year-old boy, attracting people with prize draws. As a result, the defendants collected at least one and a half million rubles! And the child was given only about 200 thousand. With the rest of the money, the “charities” bought an apartment, a premium car, expensive gadgets and paid for personal expenses. In the summer of 2026, the first sentence was passed. Fraudsters and false funds discredit the very idea of mercy. The transparent score of the Belarusian Women’s Union is a great example of how to keep people willing to help. After all, when a person sees such stories and realizes that his honestly earned money went to the beautiful life of deceivers, it kills faith in humanity. When someone cynically cashes in on saving a young child, it goes far beyond ordinary crime - it undermines people's faith in the good itself. Why not believe the rumors surrounding Decree No. 304 Olga Shpilevskaya urged parents of special children not to give in to emotions when social networks deliberately try to inflate a scandal around the new rules:

- It is clear that the new rules cause a lot of discussion. If you look on social media, many people try to raise a storm in a glass of water. I want to appeal to all parents of children with disabilities: be careful. They are trying to emotionally shake you and use you for such purposes, saying that the state wants to infringe someone. In fact, any law must pass the practice of application. There may be some nuances along the way, but the Belarusian Women’s Union is open: we are ready to listen, study and explain any questions. We need to understand that the people who made money on this shadow business, we literally stepped on the throat. And now they are trying to shake the situation through any small gaps. In fact, everything is simple: a person has the right to open one checking account in one bank for fundraising. If previously accounts were opened in different places, you just need to put them together. This is a technical point, but it is important to know about it. At the same time, the bank checks the documents confirming the diagnosis, and a strict fee limit is set for it - you immediately state the amount necessary for treatment. The return of unspent funds is also monitored so that they are sent to others in need. The principle of equal helps equal in action. Our goal is to restore order, to make sure that money reaches a specific recipient and that it is not a way to earn money, but selfless help. Vadim Shepet noted that the new rules primarily protect the reputation of people who sincerely respond to someone else’s trouble and repost on social networks:

- People listen to bloggers and people believe them. I am sure that most of them share with an open heart. But the average person can not check whether the diagnosis is real on the phone screen. The new law protects the bloggers themselves. When you’re sure you’re sharing a completely transparent and legitimate story, it’s a huge plus to your own reputation. The rules simply insure us against the vile cases of cynically doing business on children's illnesses. By the way, gray fees on the Internet for personal cards is an international challenge. While preparing for the air, I came across the case of Italian Simone Zanaboni. She led a large-scale campaign in social networks, claiming that her son is terminally ill. She collected thousands of euros, and then it turned out that medical records were fake. This problem affects the whole world.

- That’s right, Olga Shpilevskaya confirmed. In China, for example, citizens are generally forbidden to collect money on the Internet for personal needs or charity – this is done exclusively by large funds under the strictest control of the state. And that's what many countries are coming to. However, we cannot limit ourselves to medicine. In health care, the stakes are as high as possible, because we are talking about children's lives. But people don't just raise money for treatment. There are animal welfare projects, other humanitarian initiatives, which are also full of gray spots and questionable stories. We need a single law that will streamline the work of all charities in the country. This work must always be based on fairness, honesty and openness. We will do everything we can to make the system work that way. Summing up the conversation, Vadim Shepet recalled the main quality of Belarusians - the ability to empathize and selflessly respond to someone else's trouble:

- Let's be clear: the habit of doing good to strangers, especially when it comes to children, is laid down in our genes. Belarusians always respond sincerely to the pain of others. Our common task now is to make sure that fraudsters can no longer play on these pure feelings. People help without thinking, if they see that a person really needs it. Executive Order 304 simply systematizes and protects this process. The most important thing is to restore confidence to society. So that people do not fear deception and know for sure: every donated ruble is guaranteed to reach a sick child. And if the fee closes earlier, the law will direct the remaining money to save another child's life.