TULSA, Okla. — As the holiday season approaches, charitable donation requests flood inboxes, mailboxes and phone lines.
While many are legitimate appeals from worthy causes, scammers are exploiting our seasonal generosity to steal millions of dollars through fraudulent charity schemes.
FBI data reveals that fraudulent charity and disaster relief scams cost Americans approximately $96 million last year.
With donation appeals ramping up during the holidays, AARP Fraud Watch experts warn consumers to verify before they give.
"We've found that about a third of us have received a request for a charitable donation only to find it was fraudulent," said Kathy Stokes, senior director for fraud prevention programs with the AARP Fraud Watch Network. "A lot of the fake ones try to sound like the real ones, and so it's easy to assume that you're giving money to the organization that you're trying to support."
How to verify legitimate charities
Before making any donation, I recommend using verification websites like Give.org or CharityNavigator.org. These platforms not only confirm whether a charity is legitimate but also show how much of your donation actually goes toward the charity's mission versus administrative costs.
"It's really important to do a little bit of research," Stokes said. "The last thing you want to do is give money to a charity only for it to be stolen by criminals."
Be proactive, not reactive
Rather than responding to unsolicited donation requests, Stokes recommends taking a proactive approach to charitable giving.
"Make a decision at the beginning of every year what charitable causes you care about," she said. "Find the ones that you want to support, make sure that they're legitimate, and just stick to that."
This strategy helps avoid the emotional pressure tactics that scammers often use to create urgency and guilt around giving.
Red flags in donation requests
Be especially cautious of donation appeals that arrive through texts, emails or phone calls pressuring you to act quickly or click on links to donate immediately.
"We can't trust incoming communications anymore," Stokes said. "Anything with a link or a phone number could be nefarious."
Instead of clicking links in unsolicited messages, go directly to the charity's official website or use contact information from your previous donations to ensure your holiday generosity reaches legitimate organizations rather than scammers.
Recent AARP research shows that nearly 9 in 10 adults have experienced at least one type of fraud, with about one-third receiving fraudulent charity donation requests.
And for more information about avoiding fraud of all types, visit aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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