Is this donation request from Cancer Council a scam?
No. Cancer Council is a real, long-established Australian cancer charity behind campaigns like Daffodil Day and Australia's Biggest Morning Tea. Those well-loved campaigns are exactly what scammers copy, sending fake 'complete your gift' texts and lookalike ticket and donation pages built around them. The good news: a few quick checks almost always tell a real Cancer Council message from a fake.
Genuine Cancer Council links lead to cancer.org.au — but a link can be made to look real, so don't go by the link alone. Below is how genuine Cancer Council contact usually works, the scams commonly run in its name, the red flags that give a fake away, and an example to compare against. Got a message in front of you? Check it now for an instant verdict.
What a real Cancer Council message looks like
Genuine messages from Cancer Council link to cancer.org.au. Treat a link to any other address as a warning sign.
- Email addresses can be faked, so a familiar-looking address proves nothing; check a campaign on cancer.org.au yourself. Cancer Council Tasmania says it does not send unsolicited emails to donors or the general public asking for donations
- To check an appeal or campaign, go to cancer.org.au yourself rather than using a link in a message
- Charities can contact supporters by text, so the channel proves nothing; judge what the message asks, and check it yourself on cancer.org.au
- A link in a donation message is a reason to go and check, not to click: scammers copy a charity's look, so type the address yourself
- You can check Daffodil Day and Australia's Biggest Morning Tea details by going to cancer.org.au yourself
What a genuine Cancer Council contact shouldn't do
- Pressure you to respond to a donation request by text or link before you can check it
- Give you no way to check a request except through the message itself, since a sender address can be faked
- Push you to pay through a link rather than letting you go to cancer.org.au yourself
- Ask you to pay by bank transfer, gift cards or cryptocurrency (no legitimate charity demands those payment methods)
- Chase you to 'complete' a donation you never started, or attach an ends-today deadline to giving
Common Cancer Council scams
- SMS claiming to be from Cancer Council thanking you for a past donation and urging you to 'complete your Daffodil Day gift' via a fake link
- Email inviting you to buy a virtual ticket for Australia's Biggest Morning Tea with payment sent to a lookalike domain
- Messages stating your workplace has nominated you for a fundraising pack and asking for credit-card details on a spoofed page
Red flags to watch for
- Any SMS or email asking for a donation that contains a shortened link or a domain that is not cancer.org.au
- Requests to pay by bank transfer, gift cards or cryptocurrency
- Urgent wording such as 'last chance to donate before Daffodil Day ends today'
- A sender address or link that imitates Cancer Council's name, such as cancer-council[.]com[.]au; addresses can also be faked outright, so check with Cancer Council yourself
Cancer Council scam examples
These composed examples show how scams impersonating Cancer Council typically read, with the tells that give each one away. Compare them against anything you've received.
Cancer Council: Thank you for supporting Daffodil Day! Our records show your gift is incomplete. Finalise your donation today at daffodil-day-gifts[.]example to receive your commemorative pin before stocks run out.
What gives it away:
- Charities can contact supporters by text, so the channel isn't the tell; a text pushing you to 'finalise' a gift through a link is, because you can check any gift or campaign yourself on cancer.org.au
- The 'incomplete gift' hook invents a transaction; it works on anyone who has ever given, or thinks a family member might have
- The link is not cancer.org.au, and the pin-stock scarcity is fake urgency bolted onto a charity ask
Subject: Your Biggest Morning Tea virtual ticket is waiting. Hi there, places for this year's Australia's Biggest Morning Tea are almost gone. Reserve your virtual ticket now and pay securely at biggest-morning-tea[.]example before registrations close tonight.
What gives it away:
- The email asks you to pay through a link; sender addresses can be faked, so don't treat a familiar one as proof. Cancer Council Tasmania says it does not send unsolicited emails to donors or the general public asking for donations
- Check Australia's Biggest Morning Tea details on cancer.org.au yourself; a payment page you reached through an email is one to verify before you pay
- A 'closes tonight' cut-off on a community morning tea is manufactured pressure; Scamwatch lists being put under pressure as a warning sign
Not sure about your message?
Paste the suspicious Cancer Council text or email and get an instant scam verdict, free.
How to verify a message from Cancer Council
- Do not tap the link or reply, even if the message thanks you for a real past donation
- Type cancer.org.au into your browser yourself and look for the Daffodil Day or Australia's Biggest Morning Tea details there; if you can't find what the message describes, call Cancer Council on 13 11 20 before paying
- If you are unsure, call Cancer Council on 13 11 20 and ask whether the message is real
- When you do want to give, donate directly at cancer.org.au or an official state Cancer Council site rather than through any message
If you have been scammed in Cancer Council's name
Clicked the link, paid, or shared details? Act now. The first hour matters more than anything else you do later.
- If you entered card details on a spoofed page, call your bank immediately, block the card and dispute the charges
- If you paid by bank transfer, tell your bank straight away and ask it to attempt a recall
- Change any password you entered or reuse elsewhere, starting with your email account
- If identity documents were shared, contact IDCARE (idcare.org) for free identity support
- Report the scam to Scamwatch and ReportCyber using the links below, and forward scam texts to 7226 so carriers can block the sender
Where to report a scam impersonating Cancer Council
Received — or fell for — a message impersonating Cancer Council? Report it. It helps authorities and carriers shut the campaign down for everyone who gets the next one.
- Scamwatch — Report the scam to the ACCC's national scam service.
- ReportCyber — Report cybercrime and financial loss to the police.
- ACMA — Complain about scam texts and spam SMS, email or calls.
- Forward to 7226 (SCAM) — Forward the scam SMS to short code 7226 so carriers can block the source.
- IDCARE — Free identity and cyber support if your details were taken.
Cancer Council scam activity in 2026
Cancer Council impersonation is seasonal, clustering around the charity's flagship campaigns. Around Daffodil Day, texts thank you for a past gift and press you to 'complete' it through a fake link; around Australia's Biggest Morning Tea, emails sell virtual tickets that route payment to a lookalike domain; year-round, 'your workplace nominated you for a fundraising pack' messages harvest card details. The constants are an address or link you don't recognise, a payment page that isn't cancer.org.au, and a deadline. The habit that beats them: don't pay through a message. Go to cancer.org.au yourself and look for the real campaign there.
Frequently asked questions
I got a text asking for a Daffodil Day donation with a link — is it a scam?
Treat it as suspect and don't use the link. Charities can contact supporters by text, so judge what the message asks: a link to 'complete' a gift, a deadline and an address you don't recognise are the warning signs. Check Daffodil Day on cancer.org.au yourself, and report the message at scamwatch.gov.au.
How do I know if a Cancer Council email is real?
Don't rely on the sender address, which can be faked, or on how the email looks. Cancer Council Tasmania says it does not send unsolicited emails to donors or the general public asking for donations; either way, visit cancer.org.au yourself rather than clicking links, and call Cancer Council on 13 11 20 if you're unsure.
Can Cancer Council contact me by SMS about Australia's Biggest Morning Tea?
It might: charities can contact supporters by text. So don't use a link or number in the text; look up Australia's Biggest Morning Tea on cancer.org.au yourself, and treat any text that asks you to pay or 'confirm' details through a link as a scam.
What is Cancer Council's real website?
The national website is cancer.org.au. Type the address yourself rather than trusting a link in a text or email, and look for campaigns like Daffodil Day and Australia's Biggest Morning Tea there. Sender addresses can be faked, so don't treat a familiar-looking address as proof.
How do I report a Cancer Council scam?
Report the message to Scamwatch (scamwatch.gov.au) so the National Anti-Scam Centre can track the campaign, and forward scam SMS to 7226 (spells SCAM) so carriers can block the sender. If you lost money or entered card details, contact your bank first, then report it to ReportCyber (cyber.gov.au).
Scam message examples
Related scam types
Scams impersonating Cancer Council usually fit one of these patterns. Learn how each works:
Related brands
Other charity names scammers impersonate — check a message from one:
Sources
- Donation scams: fake charities and appeals (Scamwatch (National Anti-Scam Centre))
- Text or SMS scams (Scamwatch (National Anti-Scam Centre))
- Report a scam (Scamwatch (National Anti-Scam Centre))
- False representations (Cancer Council Tasmania)
This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice — always verify with Cancer Council through an official channel.