Fake Charity and Disaster Appeal Scams
After disasters and in times of need, fake charities and crowdfunding appeals appear fast. How to check a charity, give safely, and spot fake appeals on social media and messaging apps.
When disaster strikes, generosity follows, and so do scammers. Within hours of floods, earthquakes, conflicts or public tragedies, fake charities, copycat websites and fraudulent crowdfunding appeals appear on social media and messaging apps. The same tricks are used all year for sick children, orphanages, churches and animal rescues. You can still give generously; you just need a few checks.
Common fake charity scams
- Copycat charities: names and logos very close to well-known organizations.
- Disaster appeals from strangers: new accounts or pages created right after an event.
- Fake crowdfunding: stories using photos stolen from news reports or other families.
- Phone and door appeals: pressure to give immediately, often in cash.
- Hacked accounts: a friend's account suddenly posting an urgent appeal with payment details.
Warning signs
| Warning sign | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Pressure to give immediately | Genuine charities welcome your donation whenever you choose to give. |
| Payment by gift card, crypto or to a personal account | Hard to trace and reverse. See why scammers prefer these. |
| Vague details | No clear information about who runs it or how money will be used. |
| Newly created pages | Accounts or websites that appeared just after the disaster. |
| Emotional images with no source | Photos may be stolen; a reverse image search can reveal them. |
| Thanks for a donation you never made | A trick to make you feel you have supported them before. |
Illustrative example
- No named organization, registration number or website.
- Payments to an individual's mobile money or a crypto wallet.
- Extreme urgency and a push to share widely.
How to check a charity
- Search the official charity register where your country has one. For example, the Charity Commission register in England and Wales, the ACNC register in Australia, or the IRS tax-exempt organization search in the United States.
- Search the name with "scam" or "complaint".
- Go to the charity's website yourself rather than following a link in a message.
- Check who is behind a crowdfunding page and their connection to the people they are raising money for.
- Reverse image search appeal photos to see if they were taken from elsewhere. See how to use reverse image search.
How to give safely
- Give to established organizations already working in the affected area.
- Donate through the charity's official website, with a card where possible.
- Never give personal banking details, PINs or codes to "charity" callers.
- Keep receipts, and check your statement afterwards.
- If a friend shares an appeal, check with them directly before giving. Their account may have been hacked.
You do not have to give on the spot. A real charity will still accept your donation tomorrow, after you have checked it.
If you gave to a fake charity
Contact your bank or payment provider, report the page or account to the platform, and report the scam to your national service. See our guide to reporting scams to platforms.
Seen an appeal you are unsure about? Paste it into CyberWatch AI Scan for a free check.
Fake appeals prey on generosity, just as inheritance scams prey on hope. For the full picture, read our guide to online scams.
Frequently asked questions
How can I check a charity is real?
Search for it on your country's official charity register where one exists, look it up independently, and donate through its official website, which you reach by typing the address yourself.
Are crowdfunding appeals safe?
Many are genuine, but some are fake or misleading. Give to people you know or can verify, check the platform's policies on fraud, and be wary of appeals created just after a disaster by strangers.
Is it safe to donate by bank transfer or gift card?
Be careful. Genuine charities usually accept card payments or other traceable methods through their official website. Requests for gift cards, crypto or transfers to personal accounts are warning signs.
Sources
- Before Giving to a Charity, US Federal Trade Commission
- Donating Through Crowdfunding and Fundraising Platforms, US Federal Trade Commission
- Register of charities, Charity Commission for England and Wales
