Every time a disaster makes the news, real charities rush in to help. So do scammers.
Within hours of a wildfire, a flood or an earthquake, fake fundraisers appear on social media, in text messages and on the phone. The same thing happens every November and December, when real charities ask for year end gifts and scammers copy their appeals word for word.
Most charities doing this work are exactly what they claim to be, run by people who really do want to help. But a small number of criminals set up fake ones on purpose, because they know a caring person will often act on instinct rather than caution.
This guide explains how to spot a fake charity, what a real one looks like, and how to check any organization in a few minutes before you give a cent.
How Do You Know If a Charity Is a Scam?
A charity is likely a scam if it pressures you to give immediately, can’t explain clearly how your money will be used, or asks you to pay with cash, gift cards or a wire transfer. Real charities want your trust more than they want a fast yes, so they’re happy to answer questions and wait for your decision.
Scammers count on emotion moving faster than caution. A photo of a flooded street or a headline about an earthquake can make anyone want to help right away. That rush is exactly what a fake charity relies on.
Plain talk: 501(c)(3)
A 501(c)(3) is the section of US tax law that covers most charities. An organization with this status is registered with the IRS, and gifts to it can usually be deducted from your taxes. You can check a group’s status for free using the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search.
Red flags that point to a fake charity
Look out for these signs, whether the appeal comes by phone, text, email or a stranger at your door.
- Pressure to decide right now. A real charity will still be there tomorrow. According to the FTC’s guidance on before giving to a charity, you should never feel rushed into a donation.
- Vague answers. Ask how much of your gift goes to the actual cause, such as flood victims or sick children, versus overhead and fundraising. A real charity can answer this. A scammer changes the subject.
- A name that sounds familiar but isn’t quite right. Scammers pick names close to well known charities, hoping you won’t notice the difference.
- Thanking you for a gift you never made. This trick, described by the FTC, gets you talking as if you already support the group.
- A “guaranteed” prize or sweepstakes win in exchange for a donation. This is illegal, and a real charity would never offer it.
- Requests for cash, gift cards, wire transfers or cryptocurrency. These payments are hard to trace and almost impossible to get back.
- A caller ID that looks local, even though the call could be coming from anywhere. Scammers can fake, or “spoof”, the number that appears on your phone.
Safety tip
Never pay a charity with a gift card, wire transfer or cash handed to a courier. See our guide to gift cards, Bitcoin ATMs and cash couriers for the same red flags scammers use outside of charity appeals.
Why scams spike around disasters and year-end giving
Two times of year bring out the most fake charities.
After a disaster in the news. When a hurricane, wildfire or earthquake is on every channel, scammers set up donation pages, social media fundraisers and phone campaigns within hours. In August 2023, the FTC warned people affected by the Maui wildfires, and people wanting to help them, to be alert to scammers “trying to cash in” on the tragedy with fake relief funds and rebuilding offers. Earlier the same year, after the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, the FTC published similar advice, reminding donors to search a charity’s name along with words like “review” or “complaint” before giving, and to ask what share of a donation actually reaches relief efforts rather than administration costs.
Crowdfunding sites add another layer to check. If an appeal points you to a personal fundraising page rather than a registered charity, look for who set the page up, whether the platform charges a fee, and how quickly funds reach the person or cause named. A page with no clear organizer, or one that only accepts gift cards or cryptocurrency, is a strong warning sign.
Year-end giving season. Many real charities do most of their fundraising in November and December, partly because donors are thinking about tax deductions before the year closes. Scammers copy that timing, sending appeals that look almost identical to legitimate year-end letters and emails, sometimes reusing a real charity’s logo and colors.
Type or say this
If you use a voice assistant or search engine to look up a charity, try: “Is [charity name] a registered nonprofit, and what do reviews say about it?” Then check the answer against the IRS and BBB tools below yourself, rather than trusting the summary alone.
How to verify a charity before you give
Follow these steps any time you’re asked for a donation, whether the appeal reached you by phone, mail, text or in person.
- Get the charity’s exact legal name. Ask the caller or read it from the appeal. Don’t rely on a nickname.
- Look it up yourself. Open a browser and search the name along with words like “complaint”, “scam” or “rating”, rather than clicking any link in the message you received.
- Check its tax status. Use the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search to confirm the charity is registered and your gift can be a tax deduction.
- Check its rating. The BBB Wise Giving Alliance and Charity Navigator both publish free reviews of how charities spend their money.
- Go to the charity’s own website. Type the web address in yourself instead of tapping a link, then look for its mission, programs and a secure donation page.
- Confirm state registration, if you want to go a step further. Most states require charities and their fundraisers to register with a state charity regulator, and a quick search of the regulator’s site can confirm this.
None of these steps take more than a few minutes, and a real charity will never mind you taking the time to do them.
Try this
Before you donate to any appeal you saw online, close the message and search for the charity’s name in a new browser tab instead of tapping its link. If it’s a real charity, you’ll find it easily that way too.
Safe ways to give, and ways to avoid
| Give this way | Why it’s safer |
|---|---|
| Credit card or check | Can be traced, and a credit card charge can often be disputed |
| The charity’s own website (typed in yourself) | Avoids fake links in texts or posts |
| A check made out to the full legal name | Harder for a scammer to cash under a fake name |
| Avoid this way | Why it’s risky |
|---|---|
| Gift cards | Cannot be traced or reversed once the numbers are shared |
| Wire transfer or cryptocurrency | Money moves instantly and usually can’t be recovered |
| Cash to a stranger or courier | No record exists that you ever gave it |
What to say if a caller or collector pressures you
You don’t owe anyone an explanation, and you can always hang up or close the door.
Say this
“I don’t make donation decisions on the phone. Please send me written information, and I’ll look into it myself.”
If the caller pushes back, keeps talking over you, or refuses to send anything in writing, that alone is a strong sign to end the call.
The same goes for someone collecting door to door or on the street. A real collector will usually be able to show identification and written material with the charity’s full name, and will not mind if you say you want to check the charity out before giving. If someone becomes pushy or tries to make you feel guilty for asking questions, treat that as a red flag on its own.
If you’ve already given money to a fake charity
- Credit card: call your card issuer, explain the charge is fraudulent, and ask about a dispute.
- Gift card: contact the retailer that issued the card as soon as possible using the number on the back.
- Wire transfer or cash: report it to your bank and to the police, though recovery is unlikely.
- Any method: report the fake charity. See our guide on where to report a scam for the right agency in your country.
It can feel embarrassing to realize a heartfelt gift went to a scammer instead of people in need. It isn’t a reflection on you. These operations are designed by people who do this for a living, and they specifically target generosity. If something feels off afterward, our calm checklist for after a scam walks you through the next steps.
Where to go from here
Charity scams share many of the same tricks used in romance scams and other cons: urgency, emotion and a push toward untraceable payment. Learning to spot those patterns once helps you catch them everywhere. For more ways to recognize and shut down scams before they cost you anything, see our book Scam-Proof.
