Australian Red Cross advises all donors to be aware of hoax phone calls, scam email and website pages or bogus collectors deceiving people into donating on the premise that their donation will be going to Australian Red Cross.
Bushfire donation advice
Over the last few months we have been overwhelmed and inspired by the generosity of so many Australians and others from around the world donating to our Disaster Relief and Recovery fund. Unfortunately, in times of disaster some individuals take advantage of this generosity with fake fundraisers and scams. We encourage everyone to be vigilant and careful about where they donate their money.
The safest way to donate to the Disaster Relief and Recovery Fund is directly through the Red Cross website.
Many celebrities, community groups, businesses and other organisations are running fundraisers to raise money for Red Cross. Here are some things to look out for when donating to these fundraisers:
-
Registered fundraisers will have a personalised online page where supporters can make a donation, and an authority to fundraise on our behalf
-
While we are not affiliated with crowdfunding sites like GoFundMe and Facebook fundraisers, they do offer guarantees in instances where the funds are not delivered to the intended recipient
If you have any concerns about these fundraisers, please call 1800 RED CROSS (733 276).
The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission offers specific advice about bushfire related scams.
General donation advice
We will only phone you if you have already expressed an interest in Red Cross, if we have a particular question about your donation, or if you have opted in to be contacted to hear more information from charities like Red Cross. Our donors are important to us and we respect your right to privacy.
Although charities are exempt from the "do not call" register, we keep our own records to ensure we are meeting the wishes of those who tell us they don’t wish to be contacted.
If you have received a phone call from someone claiming to be from or acting on behalf of Red Cross and you are not convinced that the call is legitimate, our advice would be to ask the name of the agency the person is calling from, then hang up and contact us on 1800 RED CROSS (733 276).
Australian Red Cross does not send unsolicited email to the public requesting donations.
If you receive an unsolicited email alleging to be on behalf of Red Cross or collecting for Red Cross, immediately delete the message and do not forward or otherwise circulate it.
Do not respond to these messages or provide any personal details to unsolicited email that you may receive.
Only make an online donation to an Australian Red Cross appeal on this website.
Australian spider bite warning
An email warning purporting to come from Australian Red Cross about an Australian spider bite is not an official communication. We do not send unsolicited emails with health warnings and cannot verify any of the information contained in this email. Please do not forward it.
Security
Donating online is secure and safe, but you should be as vigilant when donating online as you would be when using internet banking.
To check site security at the donations page, look for the security padlock on your browser page (often located in the address bar). Double-clicking on the padlock will show the security certificate information issued by Thawte verifying the identity of the site as https://donations.redcross.org.au.
For more information, contact us on 1800 RED CROSS (733 276).
