Protect Your Donations During the Season of Giving

As the year winds down, many Americans embrace the ‘Season of Giving,’ and contribute to causes close to their hearts. In 2023, individual Americans gave a record $374.4 billion to charity, according to the Giving USA Foundation’s annual report on U.S. philanthropy. A significant portion of these donations occur in the final months of the year. While this surge in generosity supports many amazing organizations, it also creates opportunities for scammers to steal from well-meaning donors.

Here's how to help make sure your money is getting to people in need and not the hands of criminals.

How It Works:

• You get a phone call, an email, a direct mail piece, or even door-to-door solicitation collecting money for veterans, animals, children in need, victims of natural disasters, or other causes.
• You may receive a “Thank you” email, letter, or phone call making you think that you have contributed to a particular cause in the past.
• You feel pressured to contribute on the spot.

What You Should Know:

• Sham charities also proliferate when big crises appear in the news – whether it’s war, famine, climate disaster, or other tragedies, all of which happen to be in abundance today.
• Many fake charities have legitimate-looking names and websites, making them hard to discern as fraudulent.
• While some charity scams are outright fake, others are registered nonprofits but devote little of the money they raise to the programs they raise funds for.
• Legitimate charities are not going to ask for gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency as a form of payment and will not pressure you to contribute right away.

What You Should Do:

• Research the charity on sites such as give.org, CharityNavigator.org or CharityWatch.org to ensure its legitimacy and to find out how much of the donations are actually used to serve its stated mission versus overhead and fundraising.
• Pay attention to the charity’s name and web address. Criminals often mimic the names of familiar, trusted organizations to deceive donors.
• Be wary of links in unsolicited email, text, and social media fundraising messages; they can unleash malware on your device.
• Don’t give personal and financial information like your Social Security number, date of birth, or bank account number to anyone soliciting a donation.
• Use a credit card when making your contribution – it’s easier to keep track of it and if your card is misused, you have protection from loss.