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How do I know if a charity appeal is a scam?

In short: Check the charity number yourself on the Charity Commission, OSCR or CCNI register — not via the appeal’s link. Refuse urgency, never pay to a personal account or with gift cards, and donate only through the charity’s official website.

Data from CharityCompare editorial, last updated .

Scam appeals borrow familiarity and urgency. The decisive habit is independent verification of the charity number, then payment on a channel you typed yourself.

  1. Search the name or number on CharityCompare or the official register for that nation — not the link in the message.
  2. Match the registered name to the appeal. Lookalikes and “emergency” pages are common around disasters and Christmas.
  3. Never pay a personal account, gift cards, or crypto wallet. Give through the charity’s own site.
  4. Street and doorstep collectors should be able to show which charity they represent. See doorstep collectors.

A registered charity can still be poorly run. Registration answers “does this organisation exist?” Clarity Score answers “does it account for money clearly?” Full patterns: charity scams and fake appeals.

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Look up any UK charity's free Clarity Score from regulator filings.

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