Charity Scams: How to Check if a Charity Is Legit (and What to Do If You Paid)

A caller, a text or a social media post asks you to give, maybe after a disaster or around the holidays. Scammers may set up fake charities that seem official, or impersonate well-known ones (FTC). Here’s how to check a charity before you give, how to spot a fake one, and what to do if you already donated.

How to check if a charity is legit

1. Get the exact name, website and mailing address. Some dishonest telemarketers use names that sound like large, well-known charities, so confirm those details before you donate (FTC).
2. Search for it. Search the charity’s name plus “complaint,” “review,” “rating,” “fraud” or “scam” (FTC). See if it’s an established organization, “not one that showed up overnight” (FTC, August 2026). The FTC’s donating guide also lists two charity watchdog groups.
3. Look it up with the IRS. The IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search shows whether an organization can receive tax-deductible donations, plus its tax-exempt status and filings (IRS).
4. Check your state. Most states require charities and their fundraisers to register with the state regulator, so check that both are registered (FTC). The FTC points to the NASCO directory to find your state’s regulator.
5. Find out where the money goes. If you can’t find detailed information about a charity’s mission and programs on its website, be suspicious (FTC). You can also call the charity and ask how much of your donation goes to the programs you care about (FTC, December 2025).
6. Give directly, and pay safely. Scammers may impersonate well-known charities (FTC), and it’s faster and safer to donate on the charity’s own website than through a link someone shares (FTC). The safest ways to pay are credit card or check (FTC). Make checks payable to the organization, never to an individual (USPIS).

Using the IRS charity lookup (Tax Exempt Organization Search)

• Search by name or EIN (employer identification number). Use the name on file with the IRS: common or popular names aren’t listed (IRS).
• Pub. 78 data lists organizations that can receive tax-deductible contributions, and the IRS says you may rely on it. Some eligible groups, like churches, may not be listed (IRS).
• The auto-revocation list names organizations that automatically lost tax-exempt status for not filing required returns or notices three years in a row. Some get reinstated, so being on it doesn’t necessarily reflect current status (IRS).
• Two gifts that aren’t deductible: donations to individuals aren’t deductible (IRS, July 2026), and neither are donations to political action committees (PACs), which can sound like charities on the phone (FTC).

Charity scam red flags

• Pressure to give right now. Scammers rush you so you don’t have time to research their claims (FTC). A legitimate charity will welcome your donation at any time (FTC).
• Only cash, gift cards, wire transfers, crypto or a payment app. That’s likely a scam. Legitimate charities accept donations in many different ways (FTC, FTC).
• Thanks for a gift you never made. A caller or letter may claim you already pledged or gave last year (FTC), or thank you for a donation you never made (FTC).
• A sound-alike name or web address. Some scammers use names that sound a lot like real charities (FTC), and look-alike websites may use addresses slightly different from well-known charities’ (FTC).
• A prize for giving. If someone guarantees you’ll win a prize or contest if you donate, that’s a scam (FTC).
• A tax promise. Bogus organizations may claim your donation is tax-deductible when it isn’t (FTC).
• A familiar caller ID. Scammers can fake it to look local or like a specific organization (FTC).
• An unexpected text. Don’t use the information in it; contact the charity or visit its website instead (FTC). Asked to donate by text? Check the charity’s website first to confirm the number (FTC).

Charity scam calls: what fundraisers can and can’t do

The caller is most likely a paid fundraiser, not the charity itself. Fundraising calls are allowed even if your number is on the National Do Not Call Registry (FTC), but callers have to follow rules (FTC):

• No calls before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m.
• They must give the charity’s name and say they’re asking for a donation.
• They can’t lie about their ties to the charity, its mission, tax deductibility, how your money is used, or any government link.
• No robocalls or recorded messages unless you’re a member or past donor, and then they must let you opt out.
• Caller ID must show the charity’s or fundraiser’s name and a number to call to get on the charity’s do-not-call list.

To stop the calls, ask to be put on the charity’s do-not-call list. If that charity calls again, report it to the FTC (FTC). A fundraiser who breaks these rules may be dishonest, so consider giving another way (FTC).

Charity scam examples: the most common types

In 2024, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received more than 4,500 complaints about fraudulent charities, crowdfunding accounts and disaster relief campaigns, with about $96 million in reported losses (FBI). IC3’s 2025 annual report, using its own “charity” crime category, lists 662 complaints and about $7.9 million in losses, nearly $3.5 million of it reported by people 60 and older (IC3).

Disaster relief scams

Fake charities claim to help people affected by weather emergencies or natural disasters (FTC). Scammers may also pose as disaster relief agencies, official entities, celebrities, influencers or even a high-profile victim, sometimes using AI to look legitimate (FBI). Fake charities made the IRS’s 2026 “Dirty Dozen” list of tax scams, and they collect personal information as well as donations (IRS). Give to charities with a proven track record in dealing with disasters (FTC).

Crowdfunding and social media scams

Don’t assume a request is legitimate because a friend posted it (FTC). Ask your friend separately what they know (FTC). On a crowdfunding site, the money goes to the campaign organizer, who controls how it’s spent and might not deliver it to the person or cause (FTC). Do a reverse image search of the campaign’s photos: scammers often use stolen photos and copy other people’s stories (FTC, FBI).

Fake police, firefighter and veterans charities

Many legitimate charities support these groups, but some are outright scams. Fakes may use names that sound like well-known charities, or words like “veteran,” “foundation,” “operation,” “hero,” “wounded,” “disabled” or “homeless.” Someone collecting for your local police or fire department? Check with the department directly. On a call, ask whether the group is a charity or a PAC (FTC).

Holiday giving and Giving Tuesday

Around Giving Tuesday and the end of the year, expect calls, texts and emails asking for donations. Not everyone asking is a real charity, so check who’s asking and who gets the money before you tap a link (FTC, December 2025).

Donated to a fake charity? What to do now

1. Contact whoever moved your money, today. The table below shows who to call.
2. Check your statements for charges beyond what you agreed to give, including a recurring donation you didn’t mean to set up (FTC). Report any charge you didn’t authorize to your card issuer or bank, and ask for a refund (FTC).
3. Protect your information. Gave your Social Security number? See what to do. Shared a password? Change it wherever you use it and turn on two-factor authentication (FTC). Tapped a link in a text or email? See I clicked a phishing link.
4. Write down details for your reports: the fundraiser’s name, the charity’s name, phone number, website and address, what they told you (FTC), and the date, amount and type of payment (FBI).

Can I get my money back from a fake charity?

Maybe. Your money might already be gone, but it’s always worth asking the company you used to send it whether there’s a way to get it back (FTC).

How you gave	What to do now	More help
Credit or debit card	Call the number on the back of the card now and ask for a refund (FTC)	Cards
Check	Ask your bank or credit union right away about stopping payment. There may be a fee (CFPB)	Bank account
Payment app	Report it to the app now and ask it to reverse the payment (FTC)	Venmo, Cash App, PayPal
Zelle or bank transfer	Report it to your bank now and ask it to reverse the payment (FTC)	Zelle
Gift card	Call the number on the back, say a scammer got the number and PIN, and keep the card and receipt (FTC)	Gift cards
Wire transfer	Tell the wire transfer company a scammer tricked you, and ask for a refund (FTC)
Cryptocurrency	Ask the exchange or crypto ATM operator to reverse it. Recovery can be hard (FTC)	Bitcoin ATM
Crowdfunding site	Report the fundraiser to the platform first (FTC). GoFundMe, for example, lets donors ask for a refund when they report (GoFundMe)

Paid through PayPal or Venmo? Their Purchase Protection programs don’t cover donations, including payments on crowdfunding platforms (PayPal, Venmo).

Mailed cash? Call the U.S. Postal Inspection Service at 1-877-876-2455 right away. For a fee, an undelivered domestic package can be intercepted (FTC).

How to report a fake charity

1. The FTC, at ReportFraud.ftc.gov (FTC). Reports are shared with over 2,000 law enforcers, but the FTC can’t resolve individual reports (ReportFraud.ftc.gov).
2. Your state charity regulator, found through the NASCO directory. Give as much detail as you can about the fundraiser and the charity (FTC).
3. The FBI, at IC3.gov, if you were a victim of a financial internet scam (FBI). File even if you’re unsure it qualifies; IC3 can’t respond to every complaint (IC3). More: is IC3 legit?
4. The crowdfunding platform, first, if you gave through one. Then report the organizer to the FTC and to the attorney general of the state where the organizer lives, if you know it (FTC).
5. The Postal Inspection Service, at uspis.gov/report, if the U.S. Mail was used in any way (USPIS).
6. Your local police, if someone falsely claimed to collect for your local police or fire department (FTC).

The report-a-scam tool lists official channels by type of scam, and the scam recovery checklist tracks your steps.

Watch for the follow-up scam

• “Recovery” offers. Scammers buy and trade lists of people who’ve lost money, then offer to get it back for an upfront fee. Government agencies and legitimate organizations never ask for money to help you get a refund (FTC). If you already gave to a scheme, don’t pay fees or taxes to get a refund, or pay any service that claims it can recover your money (FBI).
• Fake IC3 or FBI contacts. IC3 never contacts people directly by phone, email or social media, and never asks for payment to recover lost funds. Type www.ic3.gov into your browser rather than using a search engine (IC3, July 2026).

What varies

• Your state. Most states require charities to register (FTC), but the office in charge differs: the NASCO directory lists attorneys general, secretaries of state and consumer protection agencies.
• How you paid. Cryptocurrency doesn’t have the legal protections that credit and debit cards do, though some states have passed laws that might help (FTC).
• The platform. Each crowdfunding platform has its own rules, fees and timing for paying organizers (FTC).
• Your bank. How stop-payment requests work, and how long they last, varies between banks and credit unions (CFPB).