The Charity Con: Philanthropy’s Dark Underbelly is a raw, step-by-step guide to understanding how charity fraud is conceived, executed, and inevitably exposed.

Written from the jail cell of Rick, a disgraced nonprofit founder, this book pulls back the curtain on the dark side of philanthropy. It is both a confession and a cautionary tale, blending meticulous details of fraudulent schemes with hard-learned lessons about the vulnerabilities that lead to capture.

Rick begins by recounting how his idealistic dream of helping others turned into a gateway for greed. The book dives into the inner workings of nonprofit fraud, explaining how to craft a compelling mission that tugs at donors’ heartstrings while masking financial deceit.

Each chapter focuses on a key component of charity fraud, offering a disturbingly clear blueprint for deception:

• Building the Façade: Learn how to create a trustworthy nonprofit brand using social proof, testimonials, and media-friendly narratives to attract high-profile donors.
• The Money Pipeline: Discover how funds are diverted through shell companies, fake invoices, and inflated expenses without raising suspicion—at first.
• Manipulating Oversight: Understand the tactics for cooking the books, navigating audits, and spinning red flags to deflect scrutiny.
• Internal Control: Explore methods for selecting staff who remain loyal, leveraging volunteers to reduce costs, and ensuring employees stay in the dark.