A lot of people have been burned by cryptocurrency — or know someone who has. That skepticism is earned. This guide explains what crypto actually is, why fraud is so common in this space, and how to tell a legitimate currency from a manufactured trap. Then it shows you exactly how to buy and donate in under 30 minutes.
They're not wrong to be suspicious. The cryptocurrency space has produced some of the largest financial frauds in modern history — and most of them followed the same playbook. Here's what actually happened, with the legal record to back it up.
The honest answer is: the technology isn't a scam. The people running some of the biggest projects were. That distinction matters, because it's the difference between dismissing email because of phishing scams, and understanding that email itself is a legitimate tool that criminals also use.
Cryptocurrency was designed to solve a real problem — how do you send value over the internet without trusting a bank to handle it? The underlying technology works. What doesn't work is assuming that everyone building on top of it is honest. The space attracted enormous amounts of money very quickly, which attracted fraudsters at the same rate.
Here are the cases that actually made it to court — not rumors, not opinions, but legally established fraud with convictions or regulatory findings behind them.
Every major crypto fraud shares the same warning signs: guaranteed returns (no investment can guarantee this), pressure to recruit others (that's a pyramid scheme), no verifiable technology (OneCoin had no real blockchain), and celebrity endorsements paid for with project tokens. The cryptocurrencies on this page — Bitcoin, Monero, Litecoin, Ethereum — have been operating transparently for years, have open source code anyone can inspect, and no central authority that can steal your funds.
The currencies we accept for donations — Monero, Bitcoin, Litecoin, and Ethereum — are not investment schemes. They have no founder taking a cut, no guaranteed returns, no recruitment requirements. They are open networks where transactions are recorded publicly (or privately, in Monero's case) and no single person controls them. Their value comes from people choosing to use them, the same way the value of any currency comes from people choosing to accept it.
That doesn't mean their prices don't fluctuate — they do, significantly. But price volatility is not fraud. It's what happens when a young asset class trades globally with no central bank smoothing the swings.
No jargon. No assumed knowledge. If you've never thought about this before, start here.
Imagine you want to send $20 to a friend in another country. Today, you have to ask a bank to do it for you. The bank checks your account, deducts $20, contacts the other bank, and adds $20 to your friend's account — minus fees, minus days of waiting, minus their permission. You don't actually move money. You ask intermediaries to update their private ledgers.
Cryptocurrency was built to remove those intermediaries. The idea: what if instead of one bank keeping a private ledger, thousands of computers around the world all kept the same ledger simultaneously — and no single one of them could change it without everyone else agreeing?
For the same reason any currency has value: because people agree it does and are willing to accept it. The US dollar has value because the US government says it does and people trust that. Bitcoin has value because millions of people globally have agreed to use it as a medium of exchange, and no government can inflate it away — there will only ever be 21 million Bitcoin. Monero has value because it offers something Bitcoin doesn't: true financial privacy. Litecoin and Ethereum have value through their utility and the networks built on top of them. None of this is magic — it's coordination and trust, the same foundations all money is built on.
We accept four currencies. Here's an honest breakdown of each — what makes it valuable, what it costs to send, and who it's best for. We recommend Monero for most donors.
Pick the method that matches where you're starting from. Every guide assumes you have never bought crypto before. Every guide ends at our donation wallets.
Go to bisq.network and download Bisq Easy for your operating system (Windows, Mac, or Linux). It's a desktop application — install it like any other program. No account creation required.
When Bisq Easy opens, click Trade in the left sidebar. You'll see a list of offers from people willing to sell Bitcoin. These are real people, not a company.
Look for a seller accepting payment methods you have — Zelle, Venmo, bank transfer, or cash by mail are common. Filter by payment method if needed. Pick an offer with a good reputation score and a reasonable premium over the market price (5–10% is normal for peer-to-peer).
Click the offer and enter how much you want to buy. Bisq opens a secure encrypted chat with the seller. Follow their instructions — they'll tell you exactly where to send payment (Zelle, Venmo, etc.) and how much.
Send the payment through whatever method the seller specified. Go back to Bisq and click Payment Sent. The seller will confirm receipt and release your Bitcoin.
Once you receive your Bitcoin in Bisq, go to Send, paste our Bitcoin address, enter the amount, and send. That's it — donation complete.
Go to bisq.network/downloads and download Bisq (the full desktop client — not Bisq Easy). Install it. On first launch it will sync with the Bitcoin network — this takes 10–30 minutes. Let it finish before doing anything.
Go to Account → National Currency Accounts → Add new account. Choose your payment method (Zelle, Revolut, bank transfer, etc.) and fill in your details. This is stored locally on your machine only.
Go to Buy BTC, find an offer matching your payment method, and complete the trade the same way as Bisq Easy above. Bitcoin goes into your Bisq wallet.
Go to trocador.app in your browser. Select BTC → XMR. Enter your Monero wallet address (from Cake Wallet — see below). Trocador gives you a Bitcoin address to send to. Copy that address, go back to Bisq, send your BTC there. Trocador automatically converts it and sends Monero to your wallet.
Before step 4, you need a Monero wallet address. Download Cake Wallet from cakewallet.com (available on iOS, Android, and desktop). Create a new Monero wallet. Write down your seed phrase and store it safely — this is the only way to recover your wallet. Your receive address is shown under the Receive tab.
In Cake Wallet, tap Send, paste our Monero address, enter the amount, and send. Done — the most private donation method available to anyone, anywhere.
Ready to donate? Copy our wallet address and send when your trade completes.
Go to Donation Wallets →At the bottom of Cash App, tap the Bitcoin icon (looks like a small ₿). If you've never used it, Cash App will ask you to verify your identity with your name and date of birth — this is required by US law for financial apps.
Tap the Buy button. Enter the dollar amount you want to spend. Cash App shows you exactly how much Bitcoin you'll receive and what the fees are before you confirm. Cash App's fees are typically 1.75–3% plus a spread.
Review the amount and tap Confirm. Your Bitcoin balance will appear in Cash App immediately. It's held in Cash App's wallet for now.
Tap the Bitcoin tab → Send Bitcoin. Paste our Bitcoin address in the recipient field. Enter the amount. Tap Confirm. Cash App will send directly to our wallet.
Ready to donate? Copy our Bitcoin address and paste it into Cash App Send.
Go to Donation Wallets →Log into PayPal. On the home screen, scroll down to find the Crypto section, or tap the menu and look for Crypto. PayPal Crypto is available in the US only.
Choose Bitcoin (BTC) or Ethereum (ETH). Tap Buy. Enter the dollar amount. PayPal shows the current price and fees before you confirm. PayPal's fees range from $0.49 to 1.8% depending on amount.
Review and tap Buy Now. Your crypto balance appears in PayPal immediately.
Tap your crypto balance → Send. Select External Wallet. Paste our Bitcoin or Ethereum address. Enter the amount and confirm. PayPal will send directly to our wallet.
Ready to donate? Copy our wallet address and send from PayPal.
Go to Donation Wallets →Go to coinbase.com and click Get Started. Enter your email, create a password, and verify your email. Coinbase is a regulated US company (publicly traded on NASDAQ) and is required by law to verify your identity.
Coinbase will ask for your full name, date of birth, address, and a photo of your government ID (driver's license or passport). This is called KYC (Know Your Customer) — it's a legal requirement for all regulated exchanges. Verification typically completes in a few minutes.
Go to Settings → Payment Methods → Add Payment Method. Connect a bank account (ACH — free but takes 3–5 days to clear), a debit card (instant but higher fees), or a PayPal account.
Click Buy / Sell at the top. Select XMR, BTC, LTC, or ETH. Enter the dollar amount. Review the fees and confirm. Your crypto will appear in your Coinbase portfolio immediately (debit card) or after your bank transfer clears.
Click on your crypto balance → Send / Receive → Send. Paste our wallet address for the matching currency. Enter the amount. Double-check the address — crypto transactions cannot be reversed. Click Continue and confirm.
Ready to donate? Copy the wallet address matching your currency and send from Coinbase.
Go to Donation Wallets →Go to kraken.com and click Create Account. Enter your email and create a strong password. Verify your email address. Kraken is a US-regulated exchange that has operated since 2011.
Click Get Verified. For basic buying and selling, Starter verification requires your name, date of birth, country, and phone number. For higher limits, Intermediate verification adds a photo ID. Start with Starter — it's enough for small donations.
Click Buy Crypto at the top. Kraken accepts bank transfers (ACH), wire transfers, and debit cards depending on your region. Select your funding method and follow the instructions to deposit USD into your account.
Click Buy Crypto. Search for XMR (Monero), BTC (Bitcoin), LTC (Litecoin), or ETH (Ethereum). Enter the dollar amount, review the order, and click Buy Now. Your crypto appears in your Kraken account immediately.
Click Transfer → Withdraw → Crypto. Select your currency. Click Add Withdrawal Address, paste our wallet address, give it a label (e.g. "Calico Recovery"), and save it. Select it, enter the amount, and click Withdraw. Kraken may send a confirmation email — click confirm in the email to release the withdrawal.
Ready to donate? Copy the wallet address matching your currency and withdraw from Kraken.
Go to Donation Wallets →