Sending money abroad and donating to charity

Sending money abroad

If you're sending money to a person or business abroad, you can do this using one of the following:

• a money transfer operator
• an online money transfer service
• a foreign exchange broker

Before sending any money using these services, check if the Finance Conduct Authority:

• have the operator, service or broker registered
• authorise the operator, service or broker

You can contact the Finance Conduct Authority through their website.

Donating money to charity online

When donating money to charities online, you should check:

• the charity is genuine using the charity regulator's online register
• web addresses with the charity regulator or charity itself
• for 'https' and the padlock symbol in your browser window, before making payment

You should never:

• follow links embedded in emails
• respond to emails from charities you've never heard of
• donate through money transfer companies, such as Western Union or MoneyGram

Report suspicious emails

If you get an email that looks like it's from a charity but which you think is suspicious you should:

• report the email to Police Scotland
• delete the email

You can find more advice on donating money to charity on the Get Safe Online website.