Shopping and marketplace · Also called fake charity, disaster relief scam, donation scam, fake fundraiser
Charity and disaster relief scam
A charity scam is a request for donations from a fake charity or a fraudster posing as a well-known one, often right after a disaster, war, or tragedy in the news. Appeals arrive by phone, text, email, social media, or door-to-door, and the money goes to the scammer instead of the cause.
How it works
- After a disaster or major news event, scammers set up fake charities or impersonate well-known ones.
- They appeal by phone, text, email, social media posts, or crowdfunding pages, using emotional stories and images.
- They press for an immediate donation, sometimes through a text or social media post that links to a look-alike donation page.
- They ask for payment by cash, gift card, wire transfer, or cryptocurrency, and the money never reaches the cause.
Red flags
- The charity seems to have appeared overnight in response to a disaster or news event.
- You are asked to donate by cash, gift card, wire transfer, or cryptocurrency only.
- The fundraiser pressures you to give immediately or cannot explain how donations are used.
- A link or phone number in a text or social media post does not match the charity's official website.
If you are targeted
- Stop contact and do not send more money.
- If you paid by card, contact your card issuer to dispute the charge; for other methods, contact your bank or provider.
- Tell the real charity if someone used its name.
- Report it. Our Report a scam page lists where to report in your country, such as ic3.gov and ReportFraud.ftc.gov in the US.
Prevention
For individuals
- Research a charity before giving, for example on Charity Watch or Give.org, and choose established organisations over ones that appeared overnight.
- Donate through the charity's own website, found yourself, rather than a link or number in a message.
- Give by credit card or check, and never to anyone who will only accept cash, gift cards, wire transfers, or crypto.
For organisations
- Crowdfunding and social platforms can verify fundraisers linked to disasters and remove impersonations of registered charities.
- Charities can publish their official donation channels and warn supporters when impersonation appears.
By the numbers
Figures are for the reporting category this scam falls under, not this scam alone.
| Charity fraud losses reported to the FBI IC3 in 2025 | $7.9M | US, 2025, FBI IC3 |
Real cases
No documented case in the atlas yet. New cases are added as they are sourced.
Delivered through: Social media ads and posts, SMS phishing (smishing), Email phishing
How official datasets classify it
- FBI IC3
- Charity
- FTC
- Charitable Solicitations
- Scamwatch
- Donation scams
Questions
- How do I check if a charity is real?
- Look it up on Charity Watch or Give.org, search its name with words like scam or complaint, and give through its official website rather than a link sent to you.
- Is it safe to donate after a disaster?
- Yes, if you give to established charities you have checked. The FTC warns that scammers create fake charities after disasters and that anyone asking for cash, gift cards, wire transfers, or crypto only is likely a scammer.