Guide
How to verify a charity before donating
URLVIS Security Team · Last updated: August 25, 2026
A charity appeal is high risk when the organization cannot be matched to an official register, the payment recipient differs from the charity, and the fundraiser pressures you to act immediately. Find the charity independently, confirm its legal identity and current status, then donate through the verified organization’s own channel.
How to Identify
- Ask for the charity’s full legal name, registration or tax identifier, physical address, and website. Search the relevant government charity register rather than trusting a badge or number printed in the appeal.
- Compare the appeal domain, email, phone number, and payment recipient with details published by the registered charity. Soundalike names and lookalike domains often divert gifts from real organizations.
- Request a specific explanation of the program, location, intended beneficiaries, and how donations will be used. Vague claims that every dollar goes “directly to victims” should be independently checked.
- Pause after disasters or breaking news. Scammers exploit the first hours of a crisis, when a new page has no history and donors feel pressure to give before verifying it.
- Avoid demands for gift cards, cryptocurrency, cash pickup, wire transfers, or payment to an individual. A traceable payment to the verified organization offers a clearer record and possible dispute options.
- Do not assume that “tax deductible” proves legitimacy. In the US, confirm eligibility and filings in the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search; in England and Wales, check the Charity Commission register.
- Inspect the donation form for the exact amount, whether it recurs, the named merchant, and privacy terms. Leave if it asks for banking credentials, a one-time code, or identity data unrelated to the donation.
- Search the campaign text and images. Reused disaster photos, copied beneficiary stories, conflicting locations, or dates from an older event can reveal a fabricated appeal.
Real-World Examples
The examples below are illustrative only. They do not refer to any real person, brand, or organization and exist solely to show the scam pattern.
Fabricated disaster appeal
Fictional example — Rapid Harbor Relief: Families need funds in the next 30 minutes. Send digital currency directly to our field coordinator; no forms required.
Fabricated charity email
Fictional example — Children’s Winter Lantern Fund: Your tax-deductible pledge expires tonight. Donate at winter-lantern-help.example to keep a child warm.
Reporting Channels
- Federal Trade Commission: Report a fraudulent charity appeal or deceptive fundraiser through ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
- Report Fraud (UK): Report charity fraud affecting you in England, Wales, or Northern Ireland.
- UK National Cyber Security Centre: Submit a suspicious donation website to the NCSC for review.
FAQ
How do I check a charity in the United States?
Search its legal name or EIN in the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search and review status and filings. Registration or tax exemption does not guarantee impact, so also inspect programs, finances, leadership, and the exact payment recipient.
How do I check a charity in the United Kingdom?
Use the official charity register for the relevant UK jurisdiction and match the legal name, registration number, address, and website. Contact the registered organization directly if a fundraiser uses different details.
Is a cryptocurrency-only charity necessarily fake?
Not necessarily, but irreversible payment and an unverified recipient create high risk. Confirm that the verified charity publishes the exact wallet address through its own official channel and understand that recovery may be difficult.
What should I do if I donated to a fake charity?
Contact the card issuer, bank, payment app, or exchange immediately and ask about stopping or disputing the transfer. Preserve the appeal, receipt, recipient details, URL, wallet address, and messages, then file a fraud report.
How This Guide Was Prepared
This guide was compiled from publicly available fraud-reporting sources and URLVIS's own multilingual risk taxonomy; an AI-assisted draft was reviewed before publication. It is for general information only and is not legal or financial advice. Spotted an error or outdated detail? Report it to [email protected].