Check Twice Before Donating

It’s the season of giving, and for those in the spirit, telling the difference between a real charity and a fake one can be a challenge. Legitimate charities make a big push at year-end for last-minute annual donations. Scammers know this and make their own end-of-year push to line their pockets.

Individual Americans contributed a record $374.4 billion to charity last year, according to the Giving USA Foundation’s annual report on U.S. philanthropy. This generosity supports many amazing organizations that put those billions to work for health care, education, environmental protection, the arts, and many other causes.

If a charity solicits you for a donation—even if your first instinct is to contribute—take a pause. Many fake charities have legitimate-looking websites and names, making them hard to identify as fraudulent. Others are registered nonprofits but devote little of the money they raise to the programs they promote.

Signs of a charity scam may include pressure to give immediately, a thank-you for a donation you don't recall making, or a request for payment by cash, gift card, cryptocurrency, or wire transfer.

Research the charity on sites such as give.org, CharityNavigator.org, or CharityWatch.org to make sure that it’s legitimate and to find out what percentage of their donations are actually used to serve their stated mission versus paying for overhead and fundraising.

Be a fraud fighter! If you can spot a scam, you can stop a scam.

Report scams to local law enforcement. For help from AARP, call 877-908-3360 or visit the AARP Fraud Watch Network^TM at aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork.