Charity fraud surges after every natural disaster, holiday season, and viral social media fundraiser. The FTC received over 28,000 charity fraud complaints in 2025. Scammers create fake organizations mimicking real charities, sometimes differing by only a word or two in the name.
Got a donation request you are not sure about? Paste it into IsThisAScam.to for a quick check before you donate.
Step 1: Check the IRS Tax-Exempt Status
Legitimate U.S. charities are registered as 501(c)(3) organizations. Verify at apps.irs.gov/app/eos/. If a charity is not in the IRS database, it either does not exist as a registered nonprofit or has had its status revoked.
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Step 2: Use Charity Watchdog Organizations
- Charity Navigator (charitynavigator.org) — 4-star rating system, 160,000+ charities rated
- GuideStar/Candid (guidestar.org) — financial information and Form 990 filings
- BBB Wise Giving Alliance (give.org) — 20 accountability standards
- CharityWatch (charitywatch.org) — letter grades based on efficiency
Step 3: Review Financial Ratios
- Program expenses: At least 65-75% of total expenses should go to the mission
- Fundraising expenses: Should be under 25%
- Admin overhead: Should be under 15-20%
Find these on the charity's Form 990 through GuideStar or ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer.
Step 4: Watch for Name Confusion
Real: American Cancer Society
Fake: American Cancer Society Fund, Cancer Society of America
Step 5: Examine the Donation Request
- High-pressure tactics and guilt-tripping = red flag
- Cash, wire, or gift card requests = scam
- Vague mission with no specific programs = suspicious
- Emotional manipulation with no data on impact = warning sign
Step 6: Verify the Website
Run the charity's website through IsThisAScam's 6-layer detection to check domain age, SSL validity, and content patterns.
GoFundMe and Personal Fundraisers
Personal crowdfunding campaigns are not registered charities. Before donating: verify you know the person running it, search for local news coverage, and check GoFundMe's "Giving Guarantee."
Charity Scams After Disasters
After Hurricane Katrina, the FBI identified over 4,600 fraudulent charity websites. Donate only to established organizations: Red Cross, Doctors Without Borders, Direct Relief, or local community foundations you can verify.
See also: website safety checks and business registration verification.
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