Possible scams against charities
Howard Lake | 12 February 1999 | News
The UK voluntary sector is not immune to being hoaxed, deceived and defrauded. Indeed, some individuals and organisations specifically target charities and fundraisers in the belief that they are a soft touch.
UK Fundraising brings you news of scams and possible hoaxes that have allegedly been attempted on charities.
If you think you have been approached by a fraudster, please don’t contact UK Fundraising. Instead, contact the relevant agency from the list at the bottom of this page. That said, we should be happy to publish the result of any successful investigation into fraudulent activities against charities and fundraisers.
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Telephone scams
A handwritten fax arrives at a charity which reads “Dear Sir or Madam, could you please fax me back with an address of where I can make a donation to your charity?” The return fax number was a premium rate line, but the fax omitted to mention that fact.
Source: ThirdSector, 21 January 1999, p.5
Magazines
A bogus fundraising magazine based in Dumfries may be operating according to charities which have had their details published without their permission. Fundraisers at Capability Scotland were surprised to hear that Quest magazine had been sold from house to house for £2 with an article about their work which prompted for donations. The Glasgow branch of the British Diabetic Association, however, had received £100 a month in exchange for information. ThirdSector magazine could not contact the magazine at its contact telephone number.
Source: ThirdSector, 7 January 1999, p.4
Thefts from charities
To get a sense of the scale of scams attempted against charities, and sometimes from within charities, explore our round-up over several years.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.