A charitable donation is a great way to support causes you care about and make a meaningful difference in the world. Still, some individuals attempt to exploit the generosity of others for their own gain with charity scams. At Camino, we offer Zelle®, a financial tool that provides convenience and flexibility in sending and receiving funds within minutes. Still, understanding how to avoid common scams like charity scams when using Zelle® is helpful. Here’s a crash course in Zelle® safety to avoid falling victim to this type of scam so you can enjoy the convenience of this app with minimal risk.
Zelle® Safety: Charity Scams
A charity scam occurs when a scammer tricks you into sending them money for what you believe is a worthy cause. Understanding how to identify and avoid these scammers is essential to ensuring Zelle® safety!
These scammers typically set up fake charities that revolve around current events and are designed to tug at your heartstrings and appeal to your emotions. These scams usually reach out to users with solicitations that contain grammatical and spelling mistakes.
For example, they may use “their” instead of “there” or “to” instead of “too,” commas may be misplaced, words will be capitalized in odd places, or even the spacing could be off. These errors are telltale signs that you are not dealing with a professional and legitimate organization.
Another red flag about these charity scams is when they only allow payment through a non-refundable payment method, such as Zelle®. One of the first rules of Zelle® safety is understanding that once you send money using Zelle®, you cannot retrieve it unless the individual who received the transfer chooses to send it back to you.
Even if a charity seems real, always do more extensive research before sending money to ensure it is legitimate. Consider this part of the Zelle® best practices you should be following. If you have trouble determining if a charity is legitimate, we strongly recommend finding another charity to donate to for your financial safety so you know without a doubt that you will send money with Zelle® safely and support the cause you are trying to.
Partner with an Institution Committed to Fueling Your Financial Success, Zelle® Safety, and More!
We believe that you shouldn’t have to compromise safety for greater convenience, and the last thing you should have to worry about when trying to make the world a better place is the risk of being scammed. At Camino, we educate members like you on how to build a bright and secure financial future.
To learn about other scams and ways to protect yourself, visit zellepay.com/pay-it-safe. Alternatively, visit our Contact Us page to reach out to a member of our financial team!