08/06/12
A guide to giving safely to charities through street and doorstep collections as well as giving online has been produced by the Fraud Advisory Panel.
Supported by the PFRA as well as the Institute of Fundraising and the Fundraising Standards Board, the leaflet provides practical advice for potential donors.
Specifically relating to street and doorstep Direct Debit fundraising, the FAP advises people to only provide their bank account number and sort code, while it also says that fundraisers will have to be able say how much their company is paid and how this is calculated – the ‘solicitation statement’.
Rosalind Wright, chair of the Fraud Advisory Panel, “The vast majority of charitable appeals and collections are legitimate, but fraud can and does creep in. Fake collections, misleading emails and letters, bogus websites: these things can poison the culture of giving, undermining the relationship between real charities and their donors.
“This new guidance is designed to support donors in a straightforward and practical way so that they can keep on giving, confident that their money is hitting the spot. After all, the most important message of all to donors is still “please don’t stop giving.”
Dr Toby Ganley, head of policy at the PFRA, says: “Along with our colleagues at the Institute of Fundraising and Fundraising Standards Board, PFRA is delighted to support this guide.
“PFRA has never encountered a single instance of fraud or identity theft resulting from a charity Direct Debit donation made on the street or doorstep. One of the common objections to face-to-face fundraising is that people say it’s dangerous to ‘give your bank details to strangers’. However, this guide reiterates that, provided you only give your account number and sort code, street and doorstep F2F fundraising is a safe way to give.”
The Fraud Advisory Panel acts as an independent voice and leader of the counter fraud community in the United Kingdom. It works to raise awareness of the immense human, social and economic damage that is caused by fraud and to help individuals and organisations develop effective fraud prevention strategies.
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