
Holiday Scams in Disguise: What to Watch Out for When Donating Online

Online donation scams spike sharply during the holidays. Here is how your business can give safely without falling for fraud.
Charitable giving spikes during the holiday season - and so do fraudulent donation scams designed to exploit that generosity. Businesses running corporate giving programs face particular risk given the volume and visibility involved.
Common Holiday Donation Scam Patterns
- •Fake charity websites closely mimicking legitimate, well-known organizations, designed to capture payment information.
- •Urgent, emotionally-charged appeals timed to holiday giving, discouraging recipients from verifying legitimacy before donating.
- •Fraudulent crowdfunding campaigns exploiting real disaster or hardship news to solicit donations that never reach anyone in need.
- •Phishing emails impersonating known charities, requesting payment through unusual methods like gift cards or wire transfers.
How to Verify Before You Donate
- •Navigate directly to a charity's known website rather than clicking links in emails or social media posts.
- •Verify registered charity status through independent resources before donating, especially for organizations you're unfamiliar with.
- •Be cautious of any request for payment via gift cards, wire transfer, or cryptocurrency - legitimate charities rarely require these methods.
- •If donating on behalf of the business, route requests through a verified, consistent process rather than ad-hoc individual decisions.
Protecting Corporate Giving Programs Specifically
Businesses running employee matching or corporate giving programs should establish a pre-vetted list of legitimate organizations, reducing the risk of well-intentioned donations being redirected to fraudulent campaigns.
Veracity Technologies helps Minneapolis-St. Paul businesses build the security awareness needed to recognize and avoid seasonal scams, including fraudulent charitable appeals.
Ready to strengthen your security posture?
Schedule a free technology and cyber risk audit with our team.
Related Resources
More on Cybersecurity
Published 2025-11-08 · Last reviewed December 2025