Donation scam guide

Charity donation fraud

Charity scams use emotional stories, stolen patient photos, fake NGO names, and urgent donation links. Verify organization identity and beneficiary proof before donating.

Risk signal

Emotion appeal

Severity

medium

Group

Donation

Common identifiers

Add identifiers that can be matched safely across reports, profiles, payments, and evidence without exposing unnecessary private data.

01

Donation link

Use the exact donation link shown by the scammer so CheckKaroo can link repeat signals and avoid weak matches.

02

UPI ID

Use the exact upi id shown by the scammer so CheckKaroo can link repeat signals and avoid weak matches.

03

NGO name

Use the exact ngo name shown by the scammer so CheckKaroo can link repeat signals and avoid weak matches.

04

Social post

Use the exact social post shown by the scammer so CheckKaroo can link repeat signals and avoid weak matches.

Evidence to preserve

Keep proof in original form where possible. Screenshots help, but transaction IDs, URLs, timestamps, and chat context make moderation stronger.

01

Appeal post

Capture appeal post with date, time, sender, URL, or transaction context visible where possible.

02

Payment receipt

Capture payment receipt with date, time, sender, URL, or transaction context visible where possible.

03

Beneficiary claims

Capture beneficiary claims with date, time, sender, URL, or transaction context visible where possible.

04

Organization details

Capture organization details with date, time, sender, URL, or transaction context visible where possible.

First response

These steps reduce further loss and keep your report useful for review, banking escalation, platform reporting, and official complaints.

01

Verify NGO/beneficiary

Do this early: verify ngo/beneficiary helps reduce repeat contact, preserve proof, and keep escalation options open.

02

Avoid pressure donations

Do this early: avoid pressure donations helps reduce repeat contact, preserve proof, and keep escalation options open.

03

Report fake campaigns

Do this early: report fake campaigns helps reduce repeat contact, preserve proof, and keep escalation options open.

Urgent money loss

If money was recently transferred, call 1930 first and raise a bank or payment-app dispute. Speed matters for fund-freeze attempts.

Privacy boundary

Do not upload OTPs, passwords, full card numbers, full Aadhaar, private documents, or unrelated intimate media. Use masked, relevant evidence whenever possible.