"I will reward you with $100,000": MrBeast offers prize to catch scammers behind $1.25M Team Water fraud

The widely known YouTube figure Jimmy Donaldson or MrBeast has promised a reward of $100,000 for a tip that would lead to the conviction of the fraudsters who posed as his charity group Team Water and scammed Swedish businessman Erik Bergman of $1.25 million.

A Generous Offer Leads to A Fraud Scheme

Bergman, an early notable donor to MrBeast's Team Water, had been supporting charitable initiatives through his Great.com platform which operates charity-funded casino affiliate schemes. MrBeast’s Team Water campaign was initiated on August 1, 2025, and sought to raise $40 million to fund clean water initiatives in underserved areas.Bergman was deeply inspired by the campaign and publicly promised to donate $1 million, a generous offer that MrBeast publicly embraced on X.

However, what started as heartfelt philanthropy ended up being a scam with many layers.

How the Scam Unfolded

He was contacted by agents in the name of Team Water and invited to Africa alongside other celebrities to see the construction of new wells. To Bergman, it appeared that Mark Rober and Adin Ross were crypto and influencer executives and celebrities. The scammers made an attempt to be casual so the decrepit setup looked real.The act got worse when “MrBeast” announced a deal with a cryptocurrency exchange which offered a special deal to invest in a token which was to be launched.

While Bergman was investing the first $500,000, he thought that there were fellow million-dollar donors. After a few days, he sent in the $750,000 after he was persuaded that the value of the token had already increased.

Realization and the Crushing Truth

When Bergman was on the call with the real MrBeast he had extreme suspicions. But Bergman had minor suspicions like a U.S. influencer using a British phone number only after 72 hours.Bergman penned in his X post the “punch in the stomach” feeling he got after saying “What are you talking about?” Bergman was right to be worried this call was a veil to the clearest charity-focused cryptocurrency scam.

MrBeast Responds Decisively

MrBeast immediately took action by responding to Bergman’s post and publicly offering the following: “Anyone who gives us information that leads to an arrest I will reward you with $100,000.” Clearly outraged, his determination to protect Team Water’s credibility stands out; the organization has received support from philanthropists, creators, and other organizations from around the globe.

Such fraud is raising issues of concern that are associated with impersonation scams that target philanthropic initiatives. With creators such as MrBeast riding on the power of their brands for grand charitable causes, the ‘goodwill’ of charity drives seems to be increasingly exploited. While Bergman’s story involves a notable financial loss, he is choosing to be open about it, which is more beneficial because it encourages others to be more careful.