Holiday Charity Scams

TrainMyParent.com
Dec 12, 2025
2 min read

Updated: Dec 31, 2025

A person holding a donation box — It is the season of giving!

Now that the holiday season is here, there are many charities looking for year-end donations. Educational institutions, hospitals, aid and rescue organizations, and, of course, scammers are all vying for your donation dollars. Here are some tips to help you prevent falling for holiday charity scams, and to make sure the charity of your choice is receiving your donation.

Verify Tax Exempt Status of the Organization: Charities often say that any donation you make is tax deductible, but is it really? The IRS offers a charity lookup tool at https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/search-for-tax-exempt-organizations that you can use to validate that the charity is indeed tax-exempt. True charities should be listed in their database. If you decide to make a donation, check here first before doing so. And remember that donations to individuals and political action committees are never tax deductible, so they would not be found on the IRS charity lookup tool.

Do your homework: Companies like CharityWatch, the Better Business Bureau's Give.org, and your own state's Charity Regulator keep track of legitimate charities. To find your state's Charity Regulator, check out the National Association of State Charity Officials (NASCO) website.

Review Financials: Not all of your donation goes towards the operational budget of the charity. The websites mentioned above analyze and rate charities, and can tell you how much of your donation goes towards actual charity work, and not towards fundraising activities.

Pay by Traditional Methods: Charities that insist for donations are made with cryptocurrency, gift cards, or Western Union are most likely scams. Instead, pay with a credit card, which tend to be the preferred method of legitimate charities, and can offer protection for you if the charity is indeed a scam and they steal your credit card number.

Perform a Web Search for Scams: Another think that might turn up additional information is to open your trusty search engine and do a search for the charity name plus the word "scam". If others have determined that the charity is a scam, they may have shared it online.

Be Careful if the Charity Contacts You Directly: Remember that phone numbers can be spoofed by scammers. Incoming calls may look like they are coming directly from the charity, but they may be scammers trying to trick you. Similarly, scammers can create fake websites that look like the real charity, but have a URL that is slightly different. This is another reason to do your homework before making the donation.

four furry snowmen ornaments — Stay safe this holiday season!

The holiday season is the season for giving, and it is important to make sure that your donations are going to a worthy cause. It is always the season to be cautious when on the internet, looking out for scams and staying safe.

Learn how you can protect yourself or your family by enrolling in the Complete Internet Security Basics and Phishing Awareness Course for Parents on TrainMyParent.com

Interested in these posts? Sign up and subscribe to our newsletter!