After a major disaster or during high-profile appeals, fraudulent collectors and cloned donation websites appear quickly, exploiting genuine generosity and urgency to divert donations away from real causes.
Door-to-door or street collectors without visible ID badges or a charity registration number, particularly common immediately after news of a disaster.
Cloned or lookalike donation websites using a genuine charity's branding, with a URL that's subtly different from the real one.
Social media appeals sharing genuinely distressing images, but directing donations to unverified personal accounts rather than a registered charity.
Donate directly through a charity's official website, typed manually into your browser, not via a link from social media or email.
Ask any door-to-door collector for ID and their charity's registration number, and verify it independently if in doubt.
Be cautious of any appeal asking for donations via gift cards, cryptocurrency, or direct bank transfer to a personal account.
Report suspected charity fraud to the Charity Commission and to Report Fraud at reportfraud.police.uk. If you've donated to a fake appeal, contact your bank to see if the payment can be recalled.
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