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 exactly what a real Cancer Council message looks like, the scams currently circulating in its name, the red flags that give a fake away, and a real 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.
- Emails only come from addresses ending in @cancer.org.au
- Donation appeals appear on cancer.org.au or the official state Cancer Council sites
- Cancer Council never sends unsolicited SMS asking for donations
- Genuine messages contain no links directing you to a different domain
- Australia's Biggest Morning Tea and Daffodil Day campaigns are always promoted on cancer.org.au
What Cancer Council will never do
- Send unsolicited SMS asking for donations (Cancer Council never does)
- Email you from an address that does not end in @cancer.org.au
- Link you to a donation page on a domain other than cancer.org.au or the official state Cancer Council sites
- 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'
- Sender address that uses cancer-council[.]com[.]au, cancer-council[.]org or any variation other than cancer.org.au
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:
- Cancer Council never sends unsolicited SMS asking for donations, so the vector alone gives this away
- 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 sender address does not end in @cancer.org.au, which every genuine Cancer Council email does
- Real campaign information for Australia's Biggest Morning Tea is always on cancer.org.au, so a payment page on any other domain is a clone
- A 'closes tonight' cut-off on a community morning tea is manufactured pressure; the event does not sell out like a concert
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; Daffodil Day and Australia's Biggest Morning Tea are always promoted there, so a genuine campaign will be on the site
- 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.
Latest Cancer Council scams 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 a sender address that is not @cancer.org.au, a payment page that is not cancer.org.au, and a deadline. The habit that beats them: never pay through a message. Go to cancer.org.au yourself and the real campaign will be there.
Frequently asked questions
I got a text asking for a Daffodil Day donation with a link — is it a scam?
Yes. Cancer Council does not send SMS donation requests. Delete the message and report it at scamwatch.gov.au.
How do I know if a Cancer Council email is real?
Check that the sender address ends exactly in @cancer.org.au and that any donation link points only to cancer.org.au. If in doubt, visit cancer.org.au yourself rather than clicking links.
Can Cancer Council contact me by SMS about Australia's Biggest Morning Tea?
No. All official campaign information is published on cancer.org.au or state Cancer Council websites. Any SMS claiming otherwise is a scam.
What is Cancer Council's real website?
The national website is cancer.org.au, and official state Cancer Council sites are linked from it. Genuine emails come only from addresses ending in @cancer.org.au, and campaigns like Daffodil Day and Australia's Biggest Morning Tea are always promoted on the site. Type the address yourself rather than trusting a link in a text or email.
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).
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))
This guide is general information, not legal or financial advice — always verify with Cancer Council through an official channel.