Watch Out for Veterans Charity Scams

Find out how to protect yourself against the worst offenders and ensure your donation goes where it’s needed

Deirdre van Dyk,

AARP

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En español

Published December 03, 2018

/ Updated August 20, 2024

a military helmet with cash inside of it

Photo Collage: AARP (Source: Shutterstock)

In this story

Impact of scams • Common charity scams • Safe giving • Protect yourself • Reporting scams

As an Army veteran raising a daughter with cystic fibrosis, Lindsay Meisner cared deeply about veterans’ causes and sick children. When she met a man claiming to raise money for the Wounded Warriors Project and a children’s charity while golfing in Scottsdale, Arizona, Meisner gave him her savings to support his efforts. When she tried contacting him to see how his initiative was going, he had disappeared.

“You would hope an older guy in a polo sitting there talking about Wounded Warriors, that they would be a good person. Like … you just wouldn’t think that they would target such vulnerable topics, but maybe that’s [the] kicker. Because they know that it pulls on you,” Meisner says in an episode of AARP’s The Perfect Scam podcast, which details how police caught the scammer.

“Donors need to be on higher alert when they’re solicited by veterans and military charities. [Scammers] pack a one-two punch, playing on both your empathy and your patriotism,” says Laurie Styron, CEO of CharityWatch, an independent monitoring organization.

Shady operators don’t just steal or misspend money. They divert millions of dollars that might otherwise flow to the many honorable organizations providing housing, job training, mental health care and other vital services to former military members and their families.

How veteran charity scams work

You may be approached in person, by mail, email, text or on the phone. Giving in the public society benefit category, which includes veterans, totaled $62.8 billion in 2023. Adjusted for inflation, that’s up more than 7 percent from the year before, according to Giving USA. Here are a few ways scammers try to get a piece of those funds.

Mimic genuine charities. Bogus military charities may reach out by direct mail, email, phone calls or texts, often imitating well-known charities. “Questionable operators are counting on the fact that you’re not going to look further to see if that’s the one you’re thinking of and you’re just going to give,” says Bennett Weiner, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Better Business Bureau’s Wise Giving Alliance, which rates charities.

Prey on your kind nature. They tell heartrending stories and use evocative images to appeal to your patriotism and sympathy. If you hesitate, they imply that veterans sacrificed for the country, but you’re unwilling to help them. “What I recommend is (that people) understand that there’s a difference between being supportive of a cause and being supportive of a specific charity working in that cause,” Styron says.

Pretend you’ve given before. They claim you gave to them before and they’re just following up on a promised donation or asking you to renew your contribution. “They are trying to make it sound like you’ve already vetted them and you just forgot,” Weiner says.

Common signs of veteran charity scams

If you experience any of the following, it could be a sign of a scam.

Pressure to donate immediately. A legitimate veterans charity will welcome your donation whenever you choose to make it.

Fake invoices. Some bogus fundraisers disguise solicitations as bills, hoping you’ll think you have to pay.

A thank-you for a donation you don’t recall making. Phony fundraisers try to trick you into thinking you’ve given to the cause, to lower your resistance to donating “again.”

How to protect yourself

When a charity calls and you want to give, experts suggest using the call as a catalyst, but not giving on the spot. They urge donors to do their research before reaching for their wallet. “You can think of it as ‘It’s my duty as a donor to make sure that my donation isn't wasted.’ And any legitimate and ethical charity will understand that,” Styron says.

More on charity scams:

Here are a few ways you can make sure you are giving to a genuine charity:

Do your research. Tell the person soliciting a donation that you can’t donate until you do your research. Look into the kind of programs the charity has, how long it has been around and who is on its board of directors. The Wise Giving Alliance and CharityWatch have detailed information on how to research charities on their websites.

Ask how solicitor supports veterans. One charity might advocate or raise awareness about veterans’ issues; another might provide direct grants to veterans. “Depending on what your goals are, as a donor, you might want to donate to the one and not the other. You might want to donate [to] both,” Styron says.

Check the rating. CharityWatch has a list of its top-rated charities, while the BBB’s Wise Giving Alliance shows which charities have met each of its 20 standards. Other monitoring groups, such as Charity Navigator, provide ratings, reviews and tax and financial data.

Video: How to Avoid Veteran Charity Scams

Double-check solicitations. If a group claims to be raising funds on behalf of an organization (for example, Wounded Warrior Project), contact the charity and make sure fundraising is authorized, Weiner says.

Give by credit card. Don’t make a donation in cash, wire transfer, payment apps, cryptocurrency or gift cards. Scammers prefer these payment methods because they are hard to trace. The safest way to donate is by credit card, which offers the greatest protection for consumers in case of fraud.

Get a receipt. Legitimate charities will give you one showing the amount you gave. Check it against your credit card statement to make sure you were charged only the amount you agreed to donate.

If you’ve been targeted

Report it to your state attorney general’s office or the agency that handles consumer protection. Many states regulate charities, and you can check the National Association of State Charity Officials for the appropriate office in your state here.

File a report to the Federal Trade Commission or the FBI’s Internet Criminal Complaint Center.

For free support and guidance, trained specialists at the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline, 877-908-3360, can share information on what to do next and how to avoid scams. AARP also offers resources for veterans who have been scammed.

This story, originally published on Dec. 3, 2018, has been updated with new information and interviews.

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Deirdre van Dyk is an AARP associate editor covering Social Security, caregiving, technology and fraud. She previously worked at USA Today and Time, where she covered business, government, sustainability and innovation.