{"id":10124,"date":"2020-12-21T09:00:08","date_gmt":"2020-12-21T17:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/socialcatfish.com\/blog\/?p=10124"},"modified":"2026-01-23T10:53:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T18:53:07","slug":"christmas-charity-scams-scammers-use-phishing-websites-and-robocalls-to-scam-victims","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.socialcatfish.cloud\/scamfish\/christmas-charity-scams-scammers-use-phishing-websites-and-robocalls-to-scam-victims\/","title":{"rendered":"Christmas Charity Scams: Scammers Use Phishing Websites and Robocalls to Scam Victims"},"content":{"rendered":"

This year is the year for giving, especially with the coronavirus plaguing the globe. There are many holiday charities that you can give to this year to help families in need of additional support. However, scammers know that many people will be donating to charities this year, so they came up with different tactics during the holidays<\/a> using charities to steal your money. This is why it’s important to learn the types of Christmas charity scams and how to avoid them.<\/p>\n

Types of Christmas Charity Scams<\/h2>\n[aesop_image img=”https:\/\/socialcatfish.com\/scamfish\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Merry-christmas-530204-scaled.jpg” panorama=”off” imgwidth=”100%” align=”center” lightbox=”off” captionsrc=”custom” captionposition=”center” revealfx=”off” overlay_revealfx=”off”]\n

Robocall Scams<\/h3>\n

Scammers call their victims<\/a>, pretending to be the holiday charity that they want to donate to. They ask their victims for their personal and financial information over the phone, and the victims give them this information thinking that this charity is legit. However, the scammers then steal this information and commit identity theft<\/a> along with drain their bank accounts.<\/p>\n

Phishing Scams<\/h3>\n

Scammers send out phishing emails<\/a> to their victims, claiming that they are representing a charity that victims can donate to. The victims think that the email is legit, so they follow the instructions on the email to donate to the charity.<\/p>\n

Sometimes, the instructions will take them to a fake website to donate to the charity. The website will contain a form that victims can fill out, including their personal and financial information. Once the victims fill this out, the scammer uses this information to steal money and identities from their victims.<\/p>\n

At other times, the scammers will state to reply directly to the email with their information. Along with this, they instruct the victim to donate money via mobile payment options, such as Zelle<\/a>, CashApp<\/a>, Venmo<\/a>, or PayPal<\/a>, or through gift cards and wire transfers. Then with this information, they can commit identity fraud<\/a> and steal money.<\/p>\n

Fake Website Scams<\/h3>\n

Scammers will create fake websites<\/a> that look like they represent legit charities. Victims go on these websites via scam emails<\/a> or Google search results. Once the victims are on these websites, they think they are donating to an actual charity and fill the form out with their personal information.<\/p>\n

Then, they pay their donation (along with a donation fee in some cases) using gift cards, wire transfers, mobile payment apps, or their credit card information. Scammers can then steal the victims’ personal and financial information, draining their bank accounts, and stealing their identities.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

How to Avoid Christmas Charity Scams<\/h2>\n[aesop_image img=”https:\/\/socialcatfish.com\/scamfish\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Presents-for-you-393059-scaled.jpg” panorama=”off” imgwidth=”100%” align=”center” lightbox=”off” captionsrc=”custom” captionposition=”center” revealfx=”off” overlay_revealfx=”off”]\n