Giving Season Scams: How to Donate Safely
The weeks around Thanksgiving and the end of the year are when many people give most generously, to food banks, veterans, children, animal shelters and disaster relief. Scammers know it. Fake charities and lookalike appeals appear in your phone, inbox, mailbox and social media feed, and they can be very convincing. You don’t have to stop giving. A few habits make sure your gift goes where you mean it to.
How Charity Scams Work
A call, text, email, mailer or social media post asks for a donation. The story pulls at the heart, like wounded veterans, sick children, families after a storm or an earthquake, or hungry animals. The name sounds familiar, and often it’s only slightly different from a real charity. The request is urgent and emotional, and the payment method is unusual.
Sometimes the scam is a fake pledge. Someone calls to thank you for a donation you “promised” last year, and asks you to follow through.
Warning Signs
Pressure to give right now. A real charity will welcome a gift tomorrow just as much as today.
A name that’s almost right. “American Heart Fund” instead of the real group you know.
Vague answers. The caller can’t say clearly what the charity does, where it’s based, or how your money will be used.
A thank-you for a pledge you don’t remember.
A request for gift cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrency or cash. These are hard to trace or get back.
A promise that you’ll win something if you donate. Real charities don’t work that way.
A request for personal information like your Social Security number or bank login.
An appeal that appears right after a disaster, especially on social media or a crowdfunding page you haven’t checked.
How To Give Safely
Start the donation yourself. Don’t give through a link in a text, an email, or a social media post. Type the charity’s web address into your browser, or use the contact details on its official website.
Check the charity first. A few trusted tools make this easy:
Charity Navigator (charitynavigator.org) rates charities.
Give.org (from the BBB Wise Giving Alliance) reports on charities.
The IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search shows whether an organization is a recognized tax-exempt charity.
Pay by credit card or through the charity’s official site. Credit cards offer better protection if something goes wrong. Never pay with gift cards, wire transfers or cryptocurrency.
Ask for information in writing, and ask how much of your gift goes to the programs themselves.
Keep your receipt, which you may need for your taxes.
Be careful with crowdfunding. Check who started the page, and give only to causes and people you can verify.
What To Say If Someone Calls
You never have to decide on the spot. You can say:
“Thank you. Please mail me information, and I’ll donate on my own if I decide to.”
A real charity will understand. If the caller gets pushy or hangs up, that tells you what you need to know.
If You’ve Already Been Tricked
Call your card company right away, using the number on the back of your card, and ask about disputing the charge.
If you paid with gift cards, contact the gift card company.
Report it at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
Watch your statements for further charges, and change any passwords you shared.
Please don’t be embarrassed. These appeals are designed to move kind people.
Giving is a good thing, and a few minutes of checking keeps it that way. If you’d like help looking up a charity or deciding whether a message is real, a Kendera Global session can go through it with you, step by step.
