In short
After disasters and wars, fake charities appear within hours. Learn the signs of a fake appeal and how to check a charity before you donate.
Top warning signs: Pressure to give immediately; Payment by bank transfer to a person, crypto or gift cards; A name that sounds almost like a well-known charity.
First thing to do: Give through charities you already know, by typing their website address yourself.
How the scam works
Fake appeals appear on social media, messaging apps, email and even door to door, often within hours of a disaster. They use real photos, copy the names of real charities, or invent official-sounding ones.
Crowdfunding scams tell a moving personal story that isn't true, or collect money in the name of real victims without their knowledge.
Red flags to look for
- Pressure to give immediately. Real charities welcome donations tomorrow too.
- Payment by bank transfer to a person, crypto or gift cards. Registered charities offer secure, traceable ways to donate.
- A name that sounds almost like a well-known charity. Small spelling changes and new web addresses are common.
- No registration details. Genuine charities can usually be found on their country's official charity register.
- Vague claims about where money goes. “100% goes directly to families” with no details of how.
What to do if you get one
- Give through charities you already know, by typing their website address yourself.
- Check the charity on your country's official charity register where one exists.
- Check the donation link with the TapSafely checker before paying.
- On crowdfunding sites, look for a clear connection between the organiser and the people being helped.
If you already paid or shared details
Act quickly. It makes a difference.
- Contact your bank or card provider and explain that you donated to a fake appeal.
- Report the page or post to the platform where you saw it.
- Report it to the official fraud service in your country.
More help: what to do after a scam, and where to report it in your country.
How to protect yourself next time
Use a password manager
It only fills in your password on the real website, so a look-alike login page gets nothing. It also makes a different password for every account, so one leak doesn't open the rest.
Free: Bitwarden has a free plan, and even the password manager built into your phone or browser beats reusing one password everywhere.
- NordPass Partner link Password manager with a free plan and a family plan for up to six people.
Keep security software with web protection on your devices
It blocks many known scam and malware websites and warns about dangerous apps. That matters most if you installed an app or "support" tool someone asked you to.
Free: Keep your phone and browser updated, and leave Google Play Protect or Microsoft Defender switched on. Both are free.
- Bitdefender Partner link Security suite for phone and computer with web and scam protection.
Compare the tools that help, and what each costs
Links marked Partner link may earn us a commission, at no cost to you. It never changes our advice, and the free option always comes first. Affiliate disclosure.
Questions people ask
Are all crowdfunding appeals risky?
No, many are genuine. Look for verified organisers, updates, and a clear link to the people or cause being helped.
Have you had this one?
Tell other people what the message said and how it reached you. It helps someone recognise it before they tap.
No stories yet. Yours could be the one that warns someone.
Official sources and further reading
We check our guides against advice from government agencies and consumer protection bodies.
- Donation scams (Scamwatch, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission)
- Charity and donation fraud (Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre)
- Donating Safely and Avoiding Scams (US Federal Trade Commission)
