Scam Spotlight: Door-to-Door Charity Scammers

Recently, a consumer lost $4,000 to scammers pretending to represent a charitable organization. This consumer was approached by two door-to-door solicitors who asked for a donation. The solicitors said they were volunteering for a charitable foundation and even provided the consumer with promotional literature explaining the charity’s mission, which convinced the consumer the charity was legitimate.

The consumer decided to make a $40 donation. One of the scammers scanned the consumer’s credit card with their phone to process the transaction and asked the consumer to fill out a questionnaire, then promised they would receive an email receipt. When the consumer did not receive a receipt, they checked their account and noticed they had not paid $40, but $4,000! By then, the scammers were gone. The interaction lasted about 20 minutes.

This case highlights how much effort scammers put into their schemes. The potential for huge payouts means they are willing to go to great lengths, such as creating fake promotional materials for a made-up charity and spending significant time soliciting door-to-door. Consumers should not trust solicitors just because they show up in-person and seem friendly. Scammers know how to take advantage of people’s good intentions.

DATCP recommends using a credit card to make charitable donations, as credit cards have built-in protections against fraud. But to minimize risk, the best way to handle a charity scam is to prevent it from happening in the first place. Consumers can protect themselves by:

· Asking charity solicitors for specific details like the organization’s name, address, and phone number, as well as how much of the donation will be used for the charitable purpose vs. other costs.

· Not making donations with cash, payment apps, or cryptocurrency, as these payment methods are nearly impossible to reverse.

· Making a donation through a charitable organization’s official website, after taking time to do more research and verify the charity is legitimate at Give.org or CharityNavigator.org