# Fraudsters target charity’s online payments system

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2013/05/21/fraudsters-target-charity039s-online-payments-system/
- Published: 2013-05-21T14:10:52+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

The Jack & Jill Children's Foundation in Ireland has had to return more than €130,000
in donations in recent weeks after its website was targeted as part of a credit 
card scam, according to the [Irish Times](http://www.irishtimes.com).

The children’s charity said it had provided rebates on more than 1,000 fraudulent
paymentsmade via its website 22 March and 30 April.

As many charities have experienced, charity websites are often targeted by fraudsters
in order to make a small donation to check that the stolen card details are correct.
Credit card users often don't spot or question a modest donation, whereas they would
report any large purchase or expenditure.

Stolen credit cards that can be demonstrated to function have a higher value to 
other criminals.

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[Jack & Jill Children's Foundation](http://www.jackandjill.ie/)'s Chief Executive
Jonathan Irwin said there had been a steady flow of such transactions over the past
15 months but that the level of activity had increased recently. On one day in April
it had received 190 such donations worth more than €42,000 in total. 

He added that the foundation had notified its payment processor, Realex, about the
issue. Not surprisingly, he said €130,000 was a significant sum to the charity, 
which has an annual budget of around €3 millon.

_Photo: [Credit card security](http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-12559225/stock-photo-close-up-of-a-credit-or-debit-card-for-security-background.html)
by Chad McDermott on Shutterstock.com_

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