Donating Safely: Avoiding Charity Scams

5 Things to do the Before Donating to a Charity

1. Search online for the cause you care about — like “hurricane relief” or “homeless kids” — plus phrases like “best charity” or “highly rated charity.” Once you find a specific charity you’re considering giving to, search its name plus “complaint,” “review,” “rating,” “fraud,” or “scam.” If you find bad reviews, it might be best to find another organization.

  2. Check out the charity’s website. Does it give you details about the programs you want to support or how it uses donations? How much of your donation will go directly to support the programs you care about? If you can’t find detailed information about a charity’s mission and programs, be suspicious.

  3. Use one of these organizations that help you research charities:

• BBB Wise Giving Alliance
• Charity Navigator
• CharityWatch
• Candid

  4. Find out if the fundraiser and the charity are registered. Some states require that charities register with the state regulator. Check to see if a fundraiser and the charity they’re calling on behalf of are registered in Minnesota at https://www.ag.state.mn.us/Charity/.

  5. Check if the donation will be tax deductible. If this is important to you, confirm that the organization you’re donating to is registered with the IRS as a tax-exempt organization. Look up the organization in the IRS’s Tax Exempt Organization Search.

Avoid Donating to a Fake Charity

• Don’t let anyone rush you into making a donation. Scammers rush you so there’s no time to research their claims or think it through.

• Don’t trust your caller ID. Technology makes it easy for scammers to fake caller ID information. Calls can look like they come from your local area code, or from a specific organization, even if they don’t. In reality, the caller could be anywhere in the world.

• If the fundraiser says you already pledged, stop and check. They may lie and say — in a phone call or a mailer — that you already pledged to make the donation, or that you donated to them last year. They think that means you’ll be more willing to donate.

• Listen carefully to the name of the charity, write it down, and then research it. Some scammers use names that sound a lot like other charities to trick you. Do some research before you give.

• Watch out for sentimental claims with few details. Be suspicious if you hear a lot of vague sentimental claims, for example, that the charity helps many families that can’t afford cancer treatment and veterans wounded at war who can’t work, but don’t get specifics about how your donation will be used.

• Don’t donate with a wire transfer or gift card. Anyone asking you to donate this way is a scammer.

• Sweepstakes winning in exchange for a donation? Nope. If someone guarantees you’ll win a prize or contest if you contribute, that’s a scam. You won’t win anything, and your donation money will go to a scammer.

Information brought to you by Catholic Charities Financial and Housing Counseling.

Resources:

https://consumer.ftc.gov/shopping-and-donating/donating-charity

https://consumer.ftc.gov/features/donating-safely-and-avoiding-scams

https://www.ag.state.mn.us/Charity/

https://www.ag.state.mn.us/consumer/publications/GivingToCharities.asp