Charity scams around Giving Tuesday: how to check before you give

It comes in every form a real appeal does. A caller says they are raising money for local firefighters, police families or veterans. A text links to a “Giving Tuesday match” that doubles your gift before midnight. An email shows children from a recent disaster and a donate button. A social media post shares a sick child’s story with a payment handle under it. The cause is real and moving; the group asking is the part that may not be. Fake charities pick names that sound like large, trusted ones, swapping a word or adding “Foundation” or “Fund”, so a quick glance at the name proves very little.

Real charities want your money too, but they will take it next week. A fake one cannot wait, because time is when you would check. Watch for a match that “expires tonight”, a caller who will not send anything in writing, or one who gets vague when you ask how much of your gift reaches the cause. Thanks for a donation you do not remember making is another tell. So is a sweepstakes prize tied to your gift: by law you never have to donate to be eligible to win one. Any one of these is reason enough to stop and look the group up yourself.

Use the exact name and type the addresses yourself. First, the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search on irs.gov shows whether the group is a registered 501(c)(3), which is also what makes a gift tax-deductible. Second, look it up on BBB Wise Giving Alliance, Charity Navigator, CharityWatch or Candid, which show how much of the money goes to programs. Third, most states require charities to register before they ask for money there; the National Association of State Charity Officials lists every state regulator. Finally, search the name with “scam”, “complaint” and “review”. If the group does not show up in any of these places, give to one that does.

A credit card is the safest way to give, because a charge can be disputed if the charity turns out to be fake. A check made out to the organization itself, never to a person, is the next best. The FTC’s rule of thumb is blunt: a charity that will only accept gift cards, cryptocurrency, a wire transfer or a payment app is likely a scam. Give on the charity’s own website, reached by typing its address, rather than through a link in a text or email, and check what you were charged once it goes through. Text-to-give through a real short code is fine; a text from an ordinary phone number with a link to a donation page is not the same thing.

Most charitable giving in the US happens at the end of the year, and the FTC and BBB issue warnings around Giving Tuesday every year for that reason. In 2026 Thanksgiving falls on November 26 and Giving Tuesday on December 1, and the year-end tax deadline keeps people giving right up to December 31. Fake appeals follow the same calendar, and they spike again within hours of any disaster in the news: a hurricane, a wildfire, a shooting. Disaster appeals are the easiest to fake, because the photos are real and nobody yet knows which relief groups are on the ground. Give to organizations you already know, which can direct money where it is needed.

Act on the payment first. Card: call the bank on the number printed on the card, dispute the charge and tell them it was a fraudulent charity. Gift card: call the company that issued it, give the card number and ask them to freeze what is left. Wire or payment app: report it to the service and ask for a reversal, which only works if you are quick. If you handed over your card number on a fake donation page, ask for a new card rather than just disputing one charge. Your name, address and phone number went with it, so expect more calls, including ones offering to get your money back for a fee. That offer is a scam as well.

Report fake charities at ReportFraud.ftc.gov; the FTC and state attorneys general use those reports to bring cases against sham charities. Report them to your state charity regulator too, since that is the office that can stop a group soliciting in your state. Forward scam texts to 7726 so your carrier can block the number. If you lost money online, file at ic3.gov as well. Reporting rarely brings the money back, but it is how the same operation gets shut down before the next disaster.

Charity scammers do not need to know you give. Donor lists change hands, old breaches put names next to phone numbers, and people-search sites publish your number, age and address for anyone who looks. Older people get far more of these calls, which is why it is worth helping elderly parents set up a simple rule: never give on an incoming call. Taking your number off the people-search sites cuts the flow at the source. Our guide to removing your phone number shows how to do it for free.