Holiday Scams In Disguise: Charity or Scam? Simple Ways to Verify Before You Donate

Finish Strong by being prepared: Holiday-Ready IT for the Pacific Northwest (Part 4 of 4)

Giving season surges  and so do scams. A telefunding ring once placed 1.3 billion deceptive donation calls and collected $110 million. Researchers also flagged 800+ social accounts pushing fake fundraisers. This guide helps organizations give confidently: a quick vetting test, common red flags, and a simple company policy you can publish this week.

What You’ll Get In Part 4 of the November series

• A 4-question check for any crowdfund or campaign
• Red flags that deserve a hard stop
• A one-page donation policy outline for your company
• A short vignette from an Oregon-based advisory firm
• Quick links if you want help implementing

A 4-Question Vetting Test (Crowdfunds & Campaigns)

1. Who’s organizing it and what’s their connection to the recipient?
2. How exactly will funds be used and on what timeline?
3. Who controls withdrawals and how do funds reach the recipient?
4. Do close contacts publicly vouch for it (family, colleagues, partners)?

If answers are vague or missing, pause and verify before you give or share.

Red Flags Worth a Hard Stop

• Copy-paste stories or impersonation of real people
• Pressure to donate right now or “pledge already made” claims
• Requests for gift cards, wire transfers, or crypto instead of normal payment methods
• HTTPS matters: The “s” in https and the padlock icon indicate an encrypted connection. If it’s missing, or the web address looks impersonated, don’t enter payment info.
• Funds not used for the stated purpose in a reasonable timeframe

Need a ready-to-use staff primer? Our IT Help Desk & Remote Support team can provide a one-page checklist. https://www.10dtech.com/services/it-help-desk-support

For Established Charities (Not Just Crowdfunds)

Look for transparent program descriptions, program vs. overhead breakdowns, recent annual reports, and independent reviews. If searches pair the charity name with “complaints” or “scam,” slow down and check further.

Why This Matters For Your Business

Your brand travels with your donations, public or internal. A scam ties your name to fraud and teaches attackers how to fool your team elsewhere (the same tactics show up in phishing, invoice fraud, and business e-mail compromise). Training staff to verify giving requests strengthens your overall security culture.

EXAMPLE: Alex Avoids a Fake Fundraiser 

Alex leads operations at Sage Brush R Us Fiduciary Partners, a fee-only Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) serving clients from Bend to Seattle. A convincing “client emergency fund” appeared on social media, using a real client name and a copied family photo. The firm’s approved-charity list and donation policy required verification and official links. Two calls later … confirmed fake! The team shared the legitimate nonprofit’s page instead, avoided reputational blowback, and logged the incident in the year-end security recap to brief staff and partners.

Want a quick policy and control review tied to year-end? IT Assessments & Strategy Consulting can map gaps in plain English. https://www.10dtech.com/services/it-assessments-consulting

10D Tech is your Oregon-based IT & cybersecurity partner (offices in Corvallis and Portland), serving Oregon & SW Washington.

Corvallis/Albany/Eugene/Bend (541) 243-4103 • Portland/Salem (503) 971-9103

A Simple Company Donation Policy 

• Scope & channels: Where the company will donate and which platforms are approved.
• Approval thresholds: Amounts that require a second reviewer.
• Verification steps: Use the 4-question test + call a known number when in doubt.
• Payment methods: Company card/ACH only; no gift cards, wires, or crypto.
• Post-donation check: Confirm impact/use via official reports or receipts.

Because the best gift you can give your business (and your community) is trust that cannot be taken.

Ready To Act?

Give generously and with confidence. We’ll help you publish a clear donation policy and train staff to spot fakes in minutes.

Get a Free IT Checkup

10D Tech is your Oregon-based IT & cybersecurity partner (offices in Corvallis and Portland), serving Oregon & SW Washington.

Corvallis/Albany/Eugene/Bend (541) 243-4103 • Portland/Salem (503) 971-9103

FAQs You’ll Actually Use

• Q1: What’s the fastest way to vet a fundraiser?
  • Use the 4-question test (organizer, use of funds, withdrawal control, public support) and call a known number to verify details. For templates and staff training, see IT Help Desk & Remote Support.
    (https://www.10dtech.com/services/it-help-desk-support)
• Q2: Should our company donate through links in emails or social posts?
  • NO! Go directly to the charity’s official website or a platform on your approved list; avoid random links and direct messages. We can formalize this in your policy with IT Assessments & Strategy Consulting.
    (https://www.10dtech.com/services/it-assessments-consulting)
• Q3: How do we reduce the risk of account misuse during giving season?
  • Turn on Multifactor Authentication (MFA) for email and finance apps and limit who can make payments. Our Managed Cybersecurity team can implement these controls quickly.
    (https://www.10dtech.com/services/managed-cybersecurity)
• Q4: Can Artificial Intelligence (AI) make scam pages harder to spot?
  • YES! AI can generate polished copy and images; rely on verification (official domains, receipts, third-party confirmation) rather than looks alone. We provide short staff training via IT Help Desk & Remote Support.
    (https://www.10dtech.com/services/it-help-desk-support)
• Q5: What records should we keep after donating?
  • Save official receipts, confirmation emails, and impact reports in a shared folder with retention rules. We can automate this with Data Backup & Disaster Recovery.
    (https://www.10dtech.com/services/data-backup-disaster-recovery)