Learn to identify fake charities and ensure your donations go to legitimate organizations.
Think you've received a charity scam?
Paste it here for an instant analysis.
No signup · 6 detection layers · Results in seconds · Cmd+Enter
Charity scams exploit human compassion by creating fake organizations or impersonating real charities, especially after natural disasters, health crises, or other tragedies. Scammers set up fraudulent websites, conduct phone campaigns, and even go door-to-door to collect donations that go straight into their pockets.
These scams peak during disaster relief efforts, holiday seasons, and major news events when people are most motivated to help. The fake charities use names very similar to well-known organizations to cause confusion.
Beyond outright fake charities, some scam operations are technically real organizations that spend almost all donations on administrative costs and fundraising, with only a tiny percentage going to the stated cause.
After a hurricane, you receive a call from "American Red Crescent" asking for a $100 donation via gift card. They say every dollar goes directly to victims.
A GoFundMe campaign claims to be raising money for a local family affected by a fire. The photos were stolen from a news article about a different incident.