Popular YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson, widely known as MrBeast, has pledged a $100,000 reward for information that leads to the conviction of scammers who impersonated his latest charity project, Team Water.
The fraudsters managed to trick Swedish entrepreneur Erik Bergman, founder of Great.com, into losing $1.25 million through what now appears to be a sophisticated charity-based crypto con.
Team Water initiative
MrBeast launched Team Water on August 1, 2025, with the ambitious goal of raising $40 million to fund clean water projects in underserved regions. Bergman was among the early backers, pledging $1 million, a commitment that MrBeast publicly acknowledged.
This show of support, however, became the opening that fraudsters exploited.
Elaborate impersonation
The scammers, posing as Team Water representatives, lured Bergman with the promise of a trip to Africa to witness water wells being built alongside celebrities and influencers. To strengthen the ruse, they impersonated well-known figures including Mark Rober and Adin Ross, presenting themselves as crypto executives and investors.
They escalated the deception by introducing a supposed cryptocurrency partnership, even using someone impersonating MrBeast to promote a fake token.
Bergman’s $1.25 million loss
Bergman first invested $500,000, followed by another $750,000, after being convinced that other wealthy donors had joined and that the token’s value was already rising.
His doubts grew when he noticed inconsistencies, such as a supposed US influencer using a British phone number. The truth came out only after a direct call with MrBeast.
“It felt like a punch in the stomach,” Bergman said.
Call for justice
MrBeast condemned the scam and stressed his determination to hold those responsible accountable.
The $100,000 bounty is aimed at encouraging tip-offs to track down the perpetrators.