Is a charity text asking for donations after a natural disaster real?
Genuine charities do use SMS donation campaigns, but disaster phishing texts impersonating charities appear within hours of major events. Always donate through the charity's verified official channels.
Last reviewed: 1 August 2026
Explanation
Disaster donation phishing exploits compassion. Fraudulent texts arrive quickly after earthquakes, floods, or other events, using the names of well-known charities or inventing new credible-sounding relief funds. Links in the texts lead to fake payment pages that harvest card details — and unlike most phishing, these campaigns need no pretext or urgency invented, because the news supplies both.
The fake pages are often careful imitations of real charity donation forms, and the sums requested are kept small and typical of genuine appeals so nothing feels off. Some campaigns collect more than money: name, address, and card details entered on a donation form are a complete kit for card fraud. The unsolicited arrival is the tell — legitimate charities you have never supported do not have your number, and those you have supported use the channels you agreed to.
To donate safely after any disaster, navigate directly to the charity's official website — not through the link in a text — and check unfamiliar charity names against your national charity regulator's register before giving. Many countries also run official text-to-donate short codes for major charities, which are published by the charities themselves and provide an additional layer of confidence. If you donated through a link you now doubt, contact your bank to dispute the payment and watch the card for further charges; the details may be reused later.
Common red flags
- Text arrives within hours of a disaster with a payment link
- Charity name is very similar to but not exactly that of a known organisation
- Link goes to a domain that differs from the charity's official website
- Donation text asks for more personal information than a donation normally requires
What to do now
- Go to the charity's official website directly rather than clicking any link
- Verify the charity's registration number on your national charity regulator's database
- Report suspicious donation texts to your national fraud service
- If you donated to a fake charity, contact your bank to dispute the charge
Frequently asked questions
How quickly do fraudulent disaster relief texts appear?
Scammers monitor news and can launch campaigns within hours of a major disaster. This is faster than most people assume — scepticism about disaster donation texts in the immediate aftermath is fully warranted.
How did a charity I've never heard of get my number?
It didn't — the texts are sent in bulk to generated or leaked number lists. Legitimate charities contact supporters who opted in, through channels they agreed to; unsolicited disaster appeals by SMS are presumptively fraudulent.
I donated through a text link and now suspect it was fake. What should I do?
Contact your bank to dispute the payment and consider blocking the card, since the details may be reused for other charges. Then report the text to your national fraud service — disaster phishing campaigns are taken down faster when reported.