Charity Scams

Scamwatch describes the core move plainly: scammers take advantage of your goodwill by pretending they are collecting money on behalf of a charity when they are not. It says they can pose as a genuine charity and may contact you by phone, message, email or in person, and may also set up fraudulent fundraisers on online crowdfunding platforms. Often the approach is a response to a real disaster, such as floods, cyclones or bushfires, which makes an appeal text, a collector's pitch or a shared fundraising page feel plausible, while a deadline keeps you from checking. The versions that work best copy something genuine: a real emergency, a real campaign, a charity's logo on a crowdfunding page that pays into a personal bank account. A quieter variant says you pledged, your monthly gift failed or a receipt needs 'confirming'. None of the surface details proves who is contacting you, and real fundraising looks similar: the ACNC notes you might be asked to donate by letter, email, phone or in person, and the Heart Foundation says supporters who sign up receive a follow-up phone call, email and SMS. So the useful test is what the contact asks you to do, and whether you can confirm it using details you found yourself. The ACNC advises looking up a charity's contact details on its Charity Register and clicking through to the charity's website from there. The Register shows a charity is real and how to reach it, but it can't show that the message in front of you came from it: the ACNC says even well-known charities can be the subject of scammers.

These composed examples show how the scam typically reads, with the tells that give each one away. Compare them against anything you've received.

A mass text or email naming a well-known charity reaches real supporters along with people who have not donated. Regular donors are a natural target for 'your payment failed' messages because the claim could be true, and people moved by news of a disaster are the easiest to hurry. Anyone approached by phone or at the door is put on the spot, so the scammer gets an answer before you can check.

Scamwatch says fraudulent charity approaches occur all year round and often respond to real emergencies, and the ACNC's warnings follow the news. It has warned donors after the Cyclone Alfred floods in March 2025, over the festive season in December 2024 and December 2025, and during the Gaza crisis in October 2025.

• A donation request with a link or number and a reason to act now; contact alone isn't the tell, because genuine charities also write, call and knock
• A deadline, a 'gifts matched' multiplier or a 'closes tonight' countdown; Scamwatch lists pressure, guilt or being made to feel selfish as warning signs
• A message saying you pledged, your regular gift failed or a receipt needs confirming; check your own bank statement, then contact the charity using its ACNC Register details
• A collector who can't give the charity's full name, address and how the money will be used, or who has no ID; Scamwatch says to walk away if they become defensive and can't answer your questions, and that even if they do have identification, it could be forged or meaningless
• No receipt, a receipt without the charity's details, or a cheque to be made out to the collector rather than the charity; Scamwatch lists each as a warning sign
• A request to pay by money order, wire transfer, pre-loaded card or cryptocurrency; Scamwatch says it is rare to recover money sent that way
• A donation page reached through an ad, a post or a link; Scamwatch says a fake website may look almost identical to a legitimate charity site, changing only where donations are sent

1. 1If you gave card or bank details, call your bank or card provider immediately to stop the card and dispute the payment
2. 2If you paid by transfer, ask your bank straight away about recalling it; Scamwatch says it is rare to recover money sent by wire transfer, pre-loaded card or electronic currency
3. 3Ask your bank to block the card if you set up a regular donation through a fake page
4. 4Tell the real charity, using its ACNC Register details, so it can warn other supporters
5. 5If you shared identity details such as a licence number or date of birth, contact IDCARE (idcare.org) for free identity support
6. 6Report the scam to Scamwatch (scamwatch.gov.au), and to ReportCyber (cyber.gov.au) if you lost money

Where to report it

• 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.

• Start with the ACNC Charity Register: the ACNC says to check the charity is real and registered, look up its contact details there, and click through to its website from the Register to donate; Scamwatch says to approach charity organisations directly
• Use the Register for contact details, not as a stamp of approval: scammers copy real, registered charities, so being listed doesn't show a particular text, call or page came from the charity
• If a call claims to be from a charity, say you'll call back; the ACNC says to search the Charity Register and call back on the number shown there
• At the door or in the street, ask for ID and the charity's full name, and verify with the charity before signing anything; the ACNC says to end the conversation if you feel pressured
• Don't treat a logo, uniform, ID badge or polished page as proof; all of them can be copied
• Check your state or territory fundraising regulator too, as the ACNC suggests; for overseas relief, the ACNC says you can also check whether the charity is an ACFID member
• Forward scam texts to 7226 (spells SCAM), then delete them

In December 2025 the ACNC cited Scamwatch figures of $1.4 million in losses to fake charity scams officially reported in the past five years, saying the real figure is likely much higher and that phone calls, online and email were the top contact methods. Charities are warning supporters too: Red Cross's security page warns of hoax phone calls, scam emails, website pages and bogus collectors, Vinnies' scam alert describes false information about financial support spreading on Facebook pages with fake links and unauthorised websites, and The Smith Family warned in July 2024 about a fake Facebook page offering loans in its name. The check that works every time: look the charity up yourself and give through the site you reach from there.

Scammers often impersonate these names in charity scams. Here's how to tell a genuine message from a fake:

• Australian Red Cross
• Beyond Blue
• Cancer Council
• Heart Foundation
• Lifeline Australia
• RSPCA Australia
• The Salvation Army
• The Smith Family
• St Vincent de Paul Society
• World Vision Australia

• Donation scams (Scamwatch (National Anti-Scam Centre))
• Donating to legitimate charities (Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC))
• Is that a real appeal? A warning to watch out for scams this giving season (Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC))
• As donations flatline, Australians urged to dig deep this festive season and stay scam savvy (Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC))
• ACNC warns donors to beware of scam appeals following floods in Queensland and NSW (Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC))
• With signs of tensions easing in Gaza, ACNC says give generously but beware of scam appeals (Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC))
• Scams Awareness Week 2026: No one's just a number (Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC))
• Security (Australian Red Cross)
• Our fundraisers (Australian Red Cross)
• Our fundraisers: face-to-face fundraising (Heart Foundation)
• Privacy Policy (Heart Foundation)
• Scam Alert (St Vincent de Paul Society (Vinnies))
• Fake Facebook posts offering loans through The Smith Family (The Smith Family)