Charity Imposter Scams

Recognize

Making a charitable donation to help those in need is a generous decision. However, if you have been affected by an online scammer impersonating a real or fake charitable organization, they may have stolen your money and your personal information.

If you think you or someone you know has experienced a charity imposter scam, we recommend that you act immediately, by following our guidelines below, and then proceed to our Report, Recover, and Reinforce sections for further assistance.

warning signs of charity imposter scams

As a rule, any organization requesting that you send funds to a foreign bank is a scam.
Valid charity organizations will not include an attachment in their email communications.
Be suspicious of anyone contacting you online claiming to be a victim.
If someone is trying to rush you into making a donation – it’s likely a scam.
Scammers often make lots of vague and sentimental claims but give no specifics.

Visit the CSN blog to learn more about charity scam red flags.

Some Immediate Action Steps to Take

Stop all contact with the individual(s) who contacted you.
Contact your bank or financial institution to close or change any compromised accounts.
Go to annualcreditreport.com to see a copy of your free annual credit report.
Save all information or messages about the advertisement and/or the individual(s) who contacted you about the charitable donation. You may need to provide this information when you file a report.

Report

FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)

Reporting cybercrime incidents via the link above is very important! The more national reporting data that is collected, the better the chance law enforcement has to catch the criminals and decrease online crime. Although the FBI does not resolve individual complaints directly, they will make your report available to local, state and other law enforcement partners. FAQs about IC3 reporting can be found here. Please read the FBI/IC3 privacy policy here. (If you believe that you’ve received a phishing email, please forward the email directly to reportphishing@apwg.org.)

Report the Incident to the Site Where you First Saw the Promotion or Ad

Report to Craigslist Report to Youtube Report to Twitter Report to Snapchat Report to Instagram Report to Facebook

Contact the Money Service Company You May Have Used and Report the Fraud

Report to MoneyGram Report to OFX Report to Paypal Report to Venmo Report to Zelle Report to Western Union

Recover

These resources have been gathered, selected and vetted to help simplify the process of recovering after a cybercrime incident has taken place. You may need to contact organizations outside FightCybercrime.org. Results will vary depending on your circumstances.

- Contact these organizations for support and assistance against imposter scams:
- Call “Victim Connect” for Victim Advocate Assistance (855-4-VICTIM)
- Contact your state attorney general’s office for local victim resources
- Questions to Ask When Giving Charitable Donations
- Remove Your Email From Commercial Mailing Lists
- What to Know Before Giving to Charity

Contact Credit Reporting Agencies to Monitor Your Accounts

Experian Equifax TransUnion

Reinforce

Once you have notified the appropriate organizations and you are on the road to recovery, it is time to reinforce your cybersecurity, using these resources and tools.

- Improve Your Security: Find cybersecurity tools to enhance your online safety
- AARP: How to Tell if a Charity is a Fraud
- Donate Wisely and Avoid Bogus Charity Scams
- Picking the Right Charity
- Search the IRS’ Tax Exemption Site to Verify an Organization
- Tips When Donating Through an Online Portal
- Western Union: 6 Tips for Avoiding Charity Scams

Implement Preventive Measures

When you consider giving to a new charity, search its name plus “complaint,” “review,” “rating,” or “scam.”
Visit the following organization websites. They offer reports and ratings about charitable organizations and how they conduct business:
Download our Six Steps to Better Security PDF.