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24/02/2005
Charities warned of 'nasty' new scam
The Charity Commission has issued a warning to charities to be on the alert for a 'clever but nasty new scam', which could lead to organisations having their bank accounts emptied.
The Commission, the independent regulator of charitiable activity in England and Wales, said that fraudsters can obtain charities' bank account details from GiftAid forms and use the information to set up standing orders, to divert funds from charities to their own accounts.
The Charity Commission is now urging charities to check their bank statements thoroughly for unusual payments and also consider using deposit-only accounts for charitiable donations.
The scam was uncovered by Sign, the National Society for Mental Health and Deafness, which spotted two new standing orders, set up on the charity's account totalling hundreds of pounds. The organisation immediately contacted its bank and was able to stop the standing orders before any money was lost.
Steve Powell, Chief Executive at Sign, said: "It's a sad fact of modern times that charities have to constantly fight against clever con artists. We all have a duty to be aware of the forms these scams can take and to take steps to protect charitable funds."
Andrew Hind, Chief Executive at the Commission, said: "This is a particularly worrying scam because it requires no contact with the charity. In turn, this leaves charities with no opportunity to become suspicious. We urge charities to consider deposit-only accounts for charitable donations and to contact its bank if unsure about any standing orders."
(KMcA/SP)
The Commission, the independent regulator of charitiable activity in England and Wales, said that fraudsters can obtain charities' bank account details from GiftAid forms and use the information to set up standing orders, to divert funds from charities to their own accounts.
The Charity Commission is now urging charities to check their bank statements thoroughly for unusual payments and also consider using deposit-only accounts for charitiable donations.
The scam was uncovered by Sign, the National Society for Mental Health and Deafness, which spotted two new standing orders, set up on the charity's account totalling hundreds of pounds. The organisation immediately contacted its bank and was able to stop the standing orders before any money was lost.
Steve Powell, Chief Executive at Sign, said: "It's a sad fact of modern times that charities have to constantly fight against clever con artists. We all have a duty to be aware of the forms these scams can take and to take steps to protect charitable funds."
Andrew Hind, Chief Executive at the Commission, said: "This is a particularly worrying scam because it requires no contact with the charity. In turn, this leaves charities with no opportunity to become suspicious. We urge charities to consider deposit-only accounts for charitable donations and to contact its bank if unsure about any standing orders."
(KMcA/SP)
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