The Gov.UK website has recently posted some important information on how to guarantee that your donations to charity are reaching the intended beneficiaries.
Although charity scams are small compared to genuine causes, it is still worth considering these safety precautions when making donations. Below is some advice from the Charity Commission’s safer giving campaign:
Key Advice for Safer Giving
• check the charity’s name and registration number www.gov.uk/checkcharity. Most charities with an annual income of £5,000 or more must be registered
• make sure the charity is genuine before giving any financial information
• be careful when responding to emails or clicking on links within them
• check whether street collectors are wearing a proper ID badge and that any collection tin is sealed and undamaged
• ask the collector for more information if in doubt
• contact the charity that you’re seeking to donate to or work with to find out more about their spending
• carefully review collection bags for clothing and household goods to check whether they are from a genuine charity
• check whether fundraising materials are genuine. They should feature the charity’s name, registered number and a landline contact number (check their contact details on the register at www.gov.uk/checkcharity)
• never feel under pressure by a fundraiser into making a donation immediately
• use the same level of caution every time you support or donate to a charity
If, after making the above checks, you think a collection or appeal is fraudulent, you can report it to the police, make a complaint here: https://www.gov.uk/complain-about-charity, or report it to Action Fraud: https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/.
Read more here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/how-to-give-safely-to-charities
