Charity Scam

This type of attack involves someone posing as a representative for a charity in order to collect money or information from someone.

Common tactics:

• Setting up fake donation collection locations like GoFundMe.

• Requesting donations via direct contact.

• Creating fake profiles, email addresses, and/or websites to pose as legitimate charities.

• Impersonating organizations that provide aid for animals, children, disasters, and veterans.

Red flags:

• Directly asking for donations, often on multiple occasions

• Not giving you a chance to research the charity

• Asking for payment via a gift card

• Vague language about how funds will be used

• Scammer cannot give information about the charity’s work

Prevention tips:

• Research a charity before you donate to it.

• If you want to donate to a charity, find their website through a search engine instead of using a provided link.

Immediate actions:

• If you have already sent a wire transfer, contact the issuer to see about stopping the transaction.

• If you have already provided your financial information, contact your financial institution to see about stopping transactions or canceling accounts.

• If the scammer is representing a real charity, contact the real charity to inform them of the situation.