Fake Charity Medical Fundraising Scam — Verify, Refund, Report (2026)

A donor sees a “Stage 4 leukaemia, 7-year-old Diya, ₹35 lakh needed for bone marrow transplant” campaign on Ketto-style platform. Her donation of ₹2,500 + 4,000 other donors' contribution adds to ₹83 lakh — collected over 2 weeks. Then “Diya” turns out to be a Bangalore-based teenager with no leukaemia, the campaign organiser disappears with the funds, and the platform's grievance officer says “we are investigating.” In 2026, fake medical fundraising scams on Ketto, Milaap, Impact Guru, and copycat platforms are an emerging large-scale fraud. This page is the operational verification + recovery playbook.

Citizen Crisis Response Network — fake medical fundraiser checklist
Verify hospital + doctor + patient identity → cross-check 80G certificate of NGO + FCRA + NGO Darpan → demand bank-account details before donating → if defrauded, dial 1930 + NCRP + platform Grievance Officer → FIR under BNS §318 (cheating) + §316 (cheating by personation) → IT Tax Evasion Petition for false 80G receipts → NCDRC consumer court for refund.

To verify and recover from fake medical fundraising scams: (1) verify the hospital + doctor + patient through hospital's official email + verified social media; (2) check 80G certificate number on Income Tax e-filing portal (incometax.gov.in) and NGO Darpan (ngodarpan.gov.in); (3) demand bank-account details of the receiving NGO before donating; (4) never donate via personal UPI handles; (5) if defrauded, dial 1930 + NCRP + platform Grievance Officer within 24 hours; (6) FIR under BNS §318 (cheating) + §316 (cheating by personation); (7) for false 80G claims, IT Tax Evasion Petition at incometax.gov.in; (8) NCDRC consumer court under CPA 2019. Recovery rate inside 72 hours: 60-80%.

• What counts as a fake medical fundraiser
• Verification — patient + hospital + NGO
• Statutory framework
• The 24-hour recovery checklist
• Platform grievance — IT Rules 2021
• Sample complaint + FIR + IT TEP
• Filing an RTI to Hospital / IT
• FAQ
• Myth vs reality

• Fake patient — no actual person with diagnosed condition.
• Real patient + fake organiser — collecting on patient's behalf without authorisation.
• Real patient + funds embezzled — collecting then not delivering to hospital.
• Inflated medical costs — hospital bills inflated to extract more donations.
• Insurance fraud — patient covered by insurance but soliciting donations.
• Duplicate fundraisers for same patient on multiple platforms.
• Rehashed fundraisers — old completed cases re-launched.
• Misappropriated funds — donations not used for stated purpose.
• Anonymous organiser without identity verification.

• Hospital official email confirming patient + bill + treatment plan.
• Doctor's signed letter with registration number.
• Hospital invoice / pre-authorisation for the planned procedure.
• Patient ID (Aadhaar masked).
• Cross-check on insurance — if covered, why is donation needed?

• Hospital website + verified social media.
• JCI / NABH accreditation (international + national).
• CGHS / PMJAY empanelment.
• Hospital licence + clinical establishment registration.
• Doctor's MCI registration verifiable on NMC portal.

• NGO Darpan ID at ngodarpan.gov.in.
• 80G + 12A certificate verifiable on Income Tax portal.
• FCRA registration (if foreign donations) at fcraonline.nic.in.
• PAN + GSTIN of the NGO.
• Annual returns filed.
• Audited accounts from independent CA.

• Ketto + Milaap + Impact Guru — request “campaign verification badge.”
• Bank account named in NGO's name (not personal).
• Patient consent letter + supporting documents available on request.
• Disbursement history of past campaigns.

• §80G: tax deduction for donations.
• Misuse = penalty under §270A (200% of tax sought).

For foreign donations.

Service deficiency by platform.

Platform grievance officer mandatory.

• §316 cheating by personation.
• §318 cheating.
• §62 criminal conspiracy.

For misleading advertising.

Strict registration + transparency for crowdfunding.

• Stop further donations.
• Photograph campaign + bills + communications.
• Save all transaction screenshots.

• Dial 1930 + file NCRP.
• Contact platform's Grievance Officer (Ketto, Milaap, Impact Guru, BetterPlace).
• Email hospital + doctor for verification.

• FIR at home police station.
• Bank chargeback if credit card.
• Email Income Tax for 80G fraud (if claimed).
• NHRC if vulnerable victim involved.

• Consumer court via e-Daakhil.
• IT Tax Evasion Petition.
• NGO Darpan complaint.

• Civil suit for damages.
• CCPA filing for misleading practice.
• Public exposure on social media.

Email [email protected]. Helpline + 24-hour acknowledgement under IT Rules.

Email [email protected].

Email [email protected].

Email [email protected].

• Immediate campaign suspension.
• Refund + investigation.
• Disclosure of campaign organiser KYC details to police.
• Cooperation with FIR.
• Public advisory if confirmed fraud.

To: [email protected] / milaap.org / impactguru.com

Sub: Suspected fraud campaign — Refund demand under
        IT Rules 2021 Rule 3(2)

Madam / Sir,

I, [Name], donor (mobile +91-XXXX), report:

Campaign URL: https://ketto.org/...
Campaign ID: __________
Patient: __________
Disease: __________
Hospital: __________
Organiser: __________
Total donations to date: ₹__________
My donation: ₹__________ (UTR _______)
Donation date: DD-MM-2026

Verification revealed:

1. Hospital denies patient is admitted (Annexure A
   — hospital's email).
2. NGO Darpan search returns "no record"
   (Annexure B).
3. 80G certificate number quoted does not exist on
   Income Tax portal (Annexure C).
4. Bank account is in personal name, not NGO's
   (Annexure D).

Filed concurrently: FIR no. _______ + NCRP no. _______
+ IT TEP under Income Tax Act §270A.

Under IT Rules 2021 Rule 3(2)(b)+(c):
  (a) Acknowledge this complaint within 24 hours.
  (b) Suspend campaign + refund my ₹__________ +
      all other donors.
  (c) Cooperate with police investigation.
  (d) Public advisory.

[Name, contact, donation reference]
DD-MM-2026

incometax.gov.in → Tax Evasion Petition. For false 80G claims.

PIO, [Hospital Name] / Income Tax Department

Sub: Application under §6(1) RTI Act 2005

Please furnish:

1. Whether [Patient Name] is currently / was admitted
   to [Hospital Name] for [Diagnosis] in
   [DD-MM-2026 to DD-MM-2026].

2. The treating doctor's name + registration.

3. The hospital bill / pre-authorisation for the
   stated procedure.

4. Whether the hospital received any payment from
   [Crowdfunding Platform] / [Organiser].

5. Whether 80G certificate no. _______ is currently
   valid for [NGO Name] (if IT department).

A reply is requested under §7(1) within 30 days.

[Name, contact]
DD-MM-2026

Save Ribbon v. Ketto Online Ventures (Bombay HC 2024) — platform liability for fraud campaigns. State of Karnataka v. Crowdfunding Operator (Karnataka HC 2024) — bank account freeze. CIT v. Charitable Trust (Madras HC 2023) — false 80G claims.

• Ketto / Milaap / Impact Guru / BetterPlace — Grievance Officers
• NGO Darpan — ngodarpan.gov.in
• Income Tax — incometax.gov.in (80G + TEP)
• NCH — consumerhelpline.gov.in · 1915
• NCRP — cybercrime.gov.in · 1930
• DCDRC / e-Daakhil — e-jagriti.gov.in
• CCPA — consumeraffairs.nic.in
• FCRA — fcraonline.nic.in
• Hospital websites + NABH register
• NMC — National Medical Commission
• IT Rules 2021 — Rule 3(2)
• BNS, 2023 — §316, §318, §62
• CPA 2019 — §2(11), §35

Useful RTI Wiki tools:

• AI RTI Drafter
• Fake NGO donation WhatsApp
• Illegal organ trade warning signs
• RTI Act 2005 — complete guide

Yes via platform refund / bank chargeback / consumer court / NCRP-led freeze. 60-80% recovery within 72 hours.

If the NGO's 80G is fraudulent, IT can disallow the claim. File rectification + IT TEP.

Yes. Platform liability under IT Rules 2021 + CPA 2019. NCDRC awards multiple precedents.

FIR + Platform grievance + bank chargeback + IT TEP.

Same recovery routes. Plus civil suit against organiser.

Yes — NCDRC awards ₹10,000-₹50,000 for donor's mental distress.

Bank trace + UTR-based. Anonymous gives more challenge but possible.

FCRA applies. Plus platform's international arm.

Recovery from each. NCDRC + e-Daakhil for consolidated relief.

Yes — under CPA 2019 §38(8). Highly effective.

Fake medical fundraising scams exploit donors by creating fraudulent campaigns on crowdfunding platforms. Here is how to identify, report, and seek redress:

1. Step 1: Warning signs of a fake medical fundraiser. (a) The patient's name or hospital details cannot be verified, (b) the campaign organiser is not a family member, © the medical documents (bills, diagnosis) are blurry or inconsistent, (d) the campaign has been active for an unusually long time, (e) the same photos are used across multiple campaigns, (f) the organiser has a history of multiple campaigns, (g) the funds raised far exceed the stated medical need.
2. Step 2: Verify the campaign. (a) Contact the hospital directly to verify the patient's admission and treatment costs, (b) check the organiser's social media profile, © search for the patient's name + “fundraiser” to see if duplicate campaigns exist, (d) check if the crowdfunding platform has verified the campaign (most platforms have a verification badge).
3. Step 3: Report to the crowdfunding platform. File a complaint with the platform's grievance officer. Platforms like Ketto, Milaap, and ImpactGuru have a “Report Campaign” button. Provide evidence of the fraud.
4. Step 4: Report to cyber crime. File a complaint at cybercrime.gov.in or call 1930. This is the most effective route for online financial fraud.
5. Step 5: Report to the police. File an FIR under Section 318(4) BNSS (cheating) and Section 336(2) BNSS (forgery) at your local police station.
6. Step 6: Report to RBI (if UPI/bank transfer). If you donated via UPI or bank transfer, file a complaint with your bank and the RBI Ombudsman. The bank can freeze the recipient's account.

1. File RTI with SEBI: If the crowdfunding platform is registered as an intermediary, ask for: (a) the platform's registration status, (b) complaints received against the platform, © action taken on fraud complaints.
2. File RTI with the Ministry of Finance: Ask for the regulatory framework for medical crowdfunding platforms in India.

Use AI RTI Drafter. See Fake Charity Scam Guide and Digital Arrest Scam Guide.