Fake charities appear within hours of a disaster, using real photos and a familiar name. Before you give, look the charity up on the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search and a watchdog like CharityWatch or Give.org, and never donate through a link in a text, email, or social post.
The photos are real. The disaster just happened, the images are everywhere, and the appeal in your inbox uses them well. That is what makes disaster charity scams so effective: the urgency is genuine, the need is genuine, and the organization asking for your money is not.
The Federal Trade Commission warned on August 27, 2026 that scammers create fake charities that seem official, or impersonate well-known relief organizations, hoping a familiar name will draw the donation. Fake appeals can be live within hours of the first news report, because a domain registered the same afternoon and a logo lifted from a real charity's website is all it takes.
Here is the trap most people miss. The organization being impersonated is real and reputable, so every check you run on the charity returns a clean result. The IRS listing is real. The watchdog rating is real. The only thing wrong is the channel: the link you arrived through is not the charity's website. That is why the advice is about navigation, not evaluation.
Type the charity's address into your browser yourself, or use a bookmark. Never donate through a link in an email, a text, a social post, or a search advertisement. If someone texts you a donation link, check the charity's own website first and confirm you have the right number. The question is not whether the charity is good. It is whether you are actually at that charity's website.
First, the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search, which shows whether the group is a registered 501(c)(3), which is also what makes a gift tax-deductible, plus its tax-exempt status and filings. A charity that is not in the IRS search is not a charity you should trust with a donation.
Second, a watchdog: BBB Wise Giving Alliance at Give.org, Charity Navigator, CharityWatch, or Candid. These show how much of the money goes to programs versus administration, and whether the organization has a track record in disaster relief. Give to charities with a proven record in dealing with disasters, because a group that appeared overnight has no way to help people on the ground.
Third, your state regulator, usually the attorney general's office. Most states require charities and their fundraisers to register, and the FTC points to the NASCO directory to find yours. Search the charity's name plus complaint, review, rating, fraud, or scam while you are there, and watch for names that sound like a large, well-known charity but are spelled slightly differently.
A charity that will only accept gift cards, cryptocurrency, a wire transfer, or a payment app is likely a scam. That is the FTC's rule of thumb, and it is blunt for a reason: legitimate charities accept donations in many different ways, and a credit card is the safest, because a charge can be disputed if the charity turns out to be fake. A check made out to the organization itself, never to a person, is the next best.
Pressure is the other tell. A caller who needs the gift right now, a text about a match that doubles before midnight, a thank-you for a gift you never made. Real charities do not need your money in the next ten minutes. Scammers do, because every hour that passes is an hour someone might check.
Two earlier posts on this site cover ground “Fake Charity Scams After a Disaster: How to Check Before You Give” builds on: Fake Ticket Listings: The Resale Checks That Catch Most Scams, Fake Invoice Emails: The Red Flags That Catch a BEC Scam Before You Pay.
Look it up on the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search to confirm it is a registered 501(c)(3), check a watchdog like BBB Wise Giving Alliance, Charity Navigator, or CharityWatch for how it spends money, and confirm it is registered with your state regulator.
Because the photos are real and nobody yet knows which relief groups are on the ground. A domain registered the same afternoon and a logo lifted from a real charity's website can be live within hours of the first news report.
No. Type the charity's address into your browser yourself or use a bookmark. The organization being impersonated is real, so checks on the charity return clean results. The only thing wrong is the channel, and a link is how you end up on the wrong one.
Many, including credit cards. A charity that will only take gift cards, cryptocurrency, a wire transfer, or a payment app is likely a scam. A credit card is safest because the charge can be disputed, and a check should be made out to the organization, never to a person.