Someone's collecting for a disaster
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Fake charities show up soon after any hurricane, wildfire, or earthquake in the news. In 2024, Americans reported about $96 million in losses to fake charities, crowdfunding pages, and disaster-relief scams. That's from the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center. Nobody tracks how fast this happens after any one disaster. So treat any figure tied to a specific storm with suspicion, including ours.
What it sounds like
"Hi, I'm calling on behalf of the American Red Relief Fund. We're on the ground right now helping families who lost everything in the flooding. Even $20 helps us get supplies to them tonight, can I get your card number?"
The name is close enough to a real charity that it doesn't register as odd. "Red Relief" instead of "Red Cross." "Firefighters Assistance League" instead of a real firefighters' fund. Close enough to pass. Different enough that no one can hold them to it.
What they want: a card number, on the phone, right now. All while the disaster is still in the news. Some send a text with a donation link instead. Some set up a real-looking crowdfunding page using photos taken from actual news coverage.
The truth: real charities do not need your gift in the next five minutes. The people they're helping will still need help next week, after you've had a chance to check.
What to do: don't give on the spot, no matter who called or texted you. Hang up, or close the text. If you want to help, go find the charity yourself.
Checking a charity before you give
Two free lookup tools do this in under a minute.
- charitynavigator.org: rates how much of a charity's money reaches its cause.
- give.org (the BBB Wise Giving Alliance): checks whether a charity meets basic honesty standards.
Search the charity's name there. If it doesn't come up, or the name is close but not quite right, that's your answer.
For a fast-moving disaster, you can usually give to a charity you already know. Think the Red Cross, the Salvation Army, or an established local community foundation. They're easy to verify because they've been around for years.
The tells
- They called or texted you: a real charity you already support might mail you a letter. The ones that cold-call about breaking news are the ones to question.
- The name is almost right: a letter or two off a name you know.
- They want a gift card, wire, or crypto: no charity that called you needs any of these. Give by card or check.
- They pressure you to give immediately: "the need is right now" is designed to stop you from checking.
- They can't tell you clearly how the money is used: someone at a real charity can answer this.
What to do
Look the charity up yourself at charitynavigator.org or give.org. Do this no matter how urgent it sounds.
Give directly on the charity's own website. Type the address yourself. Don't follow a link from a text or call.
Pay by card, never gift card, wire, or crypto. A card payment can be disputed. The others are much harder to get back.
If you already gave to what turned out to be fake, contact your bank or card company about a chargeback. Then report it at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
Disasters will keep happening, and so will the fake charities that follow them. The habit that handles it is small. Look the charity up yourself, on your own time, before you give. Real need survives that minute.
Related: How they ask to be paid · Five signs it's a scam
