Fake Charity Grant Scam

This scam borrows the credibility of the nonprofit and philanthropic sector by inventing a charitable foundation, sometimes using a name deliberately similar to a well-known real foundation, that claims to award grants to individuals facing hardship or to small community organizations. Targets are contacted directly, often after posting publicly about a hardship such as medical bills, eviction risk, or a community project needing funding, and are told they have been selected to receive a grant.

As with other grant scams, the payout never actually happens until, or even after, the victim pays a fee framed as a wire transfer charge, tax withholding, or 'donor matching' cost. Because genuine charitable foundations do exist and do award real grants, victims can find it hard to distinguish a legitimate opportunity from a fabricated one; the reliable check is to verify the foundation's registration with the relevant charity regulator and confirm any award directly through the foundation's official published contact details, never a number or email provided by the person claiming to represent it.