Tap-to-Pay Charity Donation Scam

Overview

Fake fundraisers approach people in public with a phone and ask for a small tap-to-pay donation, but secretly key in a vastly larger amount before the victim taps, turning an intended $15-$20 gift into a charge of thousands of dollars.

How It Works

A solicitor — often young and well-dressed, claiming to represent a charity and sometimes offering music CDs in exchange for donations — approaches someone in a public place like a waterfront area and asks for a small donation. When the target agrees to give something like $15 or $20, the solicitor offers to accept the donation using the tap-to-pay feature on their phone. The donor agrees but does not review the transaction details before tapping. Instead of entering the small amount the donor agreed to, the solicitor secretly enters a far larger figure into the device. The victim doesn't realize what happened until they review their financial statements at a later date and discover a charge much larger than they authorized. In at least one documented case the "charity" involved was actually a for-profit LLC that was not registered as a charitable organization with the state or listed with the IRS as a public charity.

Red Flags

• A stranger soliciting donations in a public place asks to accept the donation via tap-to-pay on their own phone rather than cash or a verifiable method
• You are asked to tap your payment method without being shown or reviewing the transaction details before tapping
• The "charity" can't be independently verified as registered with the secretary of state's charities search page or listed with the IRS as a public charity
• Solicitors cluster in busy public areas like a waterfront and solicit modest donations in person

Real Examples

• The Washington State Attorney General's Office received multiple reports during the 2024 holiday season of young, well-dressed men soliciting near the Seattle waterfront claiming to collect donations for a charity called the Youth Upliftment Society, which was organized as a for-profit LLC and was not registered as a charitable organization with the Washington Secretary of State or listed with the IRS as a public charity. In one example, a donor agreed to give $15 but later identified a charge for $4,800; in another, a donor agreed to give $20 and later found a charge of nearly $5,000.

Where It Spreads

How to Protect Yourself

• Avoid using tap-to-pay features to make donations, or at a minimum, review the details of the transaction before you tap your payment method
• Always do your research before giving to a charity
• Visit the secretary of state's charities search page to determine if a charity is registered, or check third-party rating companies like the Better Business Bureau's give.org, CharityWatch, or Charity Navigator
• Review your financial statements after making an in-person donation to check for charges larger than you authorized
• If you believe you've been a victim of a charity scam, file a complaint with the attorney general's office

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