A Donor's Guide to Giving Safely via QR Code
QR code donations are one of the fastest, lowest-friction ways to support a cause you care about — but like any payment method, a tiny bit of awareness goes a long way. Here's a plain-English guide to giving safely.
1. Look at where the QR code is
A trustworthy donation QR code lives on official signage from the venue: printed and laminated at the till, on a poster behind the counter, on the noticeboard. Be cautious of a small sticker slapped on top of existing signage, or a hand-drawn code on a piece of paper that wasn't there last week. Scammers in South Africa have been known to paste fake QR codes over real ones at petrol stations and parking meters.
If something looks "off" — ask a staff member. They'll know if the code belongs to them.
2. Check the URL before you pay
When you scan a QR code, your phone shows the URL it's about to open before loading the page. A legitimate Impact On donation always opens to a URL on impacton.co.za. If the URL looks unrelated, full of random characters, or uses a different domain, don't tap it.
3. Use Apple Pay or Google Pay, not a card
Apple Pay and Google Pay are safer than typing your card number into a website for two reasons:
- Your real card number is never sent to the merchant. A one-time token is sent instead.
- Every transaction is biometrically authorised by your fingerprint, Face ID or PIN.
That means even if a payment page were compromised (it isn't, but in principle), the attacker couldn't reuse your card details.
4. Look for a clearly named project
A legitimate donation page tells you exactly who you're giving to: the project name, location, and the platform handling the payment. On Impact On, every donation page shows the project's name, city, and a clear line of fine print explaining that Impact On (a registered NGO in South Africa) collects funds centrally and pays them out to the project.
If a page is vague about who's receiving the money — give it a miss.
5. Keep your receipt
Apple Pay and Google Pay automatically log every transaction in your wallet app. If you ever need to dispute a charge, the record is there. On Impact On, you can also opt to receive an email receipt with the project name and amount.
FAQ
Can my card be charged again later? No. Each Apple Pay / Google Pay transaction is a single, authorised charge. There's no stored card number to re-use.
What if the QR code looks tampered with? Don't scan it. Tell the venue. Tampering with payment signage is a known scam — and easy to spot once you know to look.
How do I know the money reaches the cause? Reputable donation platforms publish a payout model. Impact On collects donations centrally and pays out to each project on a regular schedule with a full audit trail.
Want to support a local South African cause today? Browse projects on Impact On.