The Charity Commission has today issued guidance warning charities of a new banking scam. It claims that thieves are obtaining charity bank account details from Gift Aid forms, and using the information to set up standing orders, paid out of charities’ accounts.

Sign, the National Society for Mental Health and Deafness, alerted the commission to the scam after it spotted two new standing orders adding up to hundreds of pounds set up on the charity’s account. It immediately contacted its bank and stopped them before any money was lost.

Andrew Hind, chief executive of the Charity 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.”