Charitable donations leaked: what it means and what to do
Risk level: medium. Can you change it: no. Found in 2 breaches in this directory.
What this data is
Records of gifts you made to charities, churches, campaigns or fundraising pages, often with amounts, dates, payment method and the cause you supported.
The risk on its own
A donation cannot be reversed or spent by someone who reads it, so there is no direct financial loss. The sensitivity is in what the causes reveal: religion, political leanings, an illness in the family, or support for LGBTQ, refugee or reproductive rights groups. Regular large gifts also mark you as someone with money and a generous streak.
The risk combined with other data
With your name, address and email it creates a list of proven givers, which is exactly what charity fraudsters want. A scam appeal naming a cause you already support, and even your last gift amount, is hard to tell from the real thing. For donors to controversial causes it can also lead to harassment at home or at work.
How criminals use it
A fake appeal from a charity you support asks you to renew your donation through a lookalike payment page.
After a disaster you receive urgent relief appeals tuned to the causes you have given to before.
Donors to a politically or religiously sensitive cause are named online, contacted at work or harassed at home.
Generous regular donors are singled out for longer grooming scams, such as fake bequest or investment offers.
What to do now
Give only through the charity's own website, typed yourself, never through a link in an unexpected email or text.
Check a charity is registered before giving: the ACNC Charity Register in Australia, the Charity Commission register in England and Wales, or the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search in the US.
Ask the charity what the breach contained and whether card details were stored in full or only partly.
Review your bank and card statements for recurring donations you did not set up.
If a sensitive cause is involved and you face harassment, keep records and report it to police and to the platform where it happens.
Frequently asked questions
Can a scammer take money because they know I donated?
Not directly. The risk is that they send a very convincing appeal in the name of a cause you already trust.
How do I check a charity appeal is real?
Look the charity up on your country's official charity register, then donate through its own website rather than the link you were sent.
Does a donation record count as sensitive data?
It can. Gifts to religious, political or health causes can reveal protected characteristics, and laws such as GDPR give that kind of information extra protection.
Breaches that exposed this data
Data Enrichment Records: 2016-12-23, 8.2M accounts, Buying preferences, Charitable donations, Credit status information, Dates of birth, Email addresses, Family structure
University of Pennsylvania: 2025-10-30, 624K accounts, Charitable donations, Dates of birth, Email addresses, Genders, Income levels, Job titles
Breach data sourced from Have I Been Pwned, used under CC BY 4.0. Additional breach metadata provided by XposedOrNot. DataExposed is an independent service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by either.