Charity Fraud

International charity fraud most often refers to charitable organizations or individuals claiming to be charitable organizations defrauding donors by taking monetary donations intended to be used for charitable purposes. This type of fraud is typically used to take advantage of large-scale disasters but can also be unrelated to those issues. It is typically perpetrated by counting on the willingness of people to help others but can offer a personal incentive to the defrauded individuals.

In the past, charity fraud was often executed over the phone. Callers would introduce themselves as representatives of charitable organizations—sometimes real organizations and sometimes made-up organizations with convincing missions and stories. They would ask for a donation. The donation would often be taken by credit card over the phone, but in some ...